Estonian Athlete of the Year
# Estonian Athlete of the Year

The Estonian Athlete of the Year (Estonian: Eesti Aasta Sportlane) is an annual award presented by the Estonian Olympic Committee (Eesti Olümpiakomitee, EOK) to one male and one female sportsperson judged to have delivered the best performance over the course of the year. The winners of the award, which was first conceived in the 1930s and has been presented every year since 1955, are chosen by an aggregated vote from sporting journalists, national sporting federations, and the public at large.

Initially an accolade presented to one individual, the award was split into male and female categories beginning in 1967. In 2020 the two categories were merged due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to the international and national sporting calendars. The athlete with the most wins is cyclist Erika Salumäe, who has won the award on nine occasions.

## List of award winners

Cyclist Erika Salumäe has won Athlete of the Year more than any other athlete, male or female, with nine wins between 1983 and 1996. Skier Kristina Šmigun-Vähi is the second-most decorated winner, having been chosen as Female Athlete of the Year on eight occasions. Of male athletes, the most successful are weightlifter Jaan Talts, cyclist Aavo Pikkuus, and skier Andrus Veerpalu, each with five wins. Pikkuus holds the record for the most consecutive awards won, achieving his five successively between 1974 and 1978.

The youngest ever Athlete of the Year recipient is swimmer Kaire Indrikson who won in 1977 at the age of sixteen, while Aavo Pikkuus is the youngest male winner on record, achieving the first of his five wins in 1974 at the age of twenty. With a combined age of 39 years at the time of the 1977 awards, Indrikson and Pikkuus additionally constitute the youngest pair of winners from a single year. Chess player Paul Keres is the oldest person to be recognised as Athlete of the Year, winning his third award in 1962 at the age of 46. The oldest woman to win is fencer Heidi Rohi, who in 2001 was awarded Athlete of the Year at the age of 35. Keres also holds the record for the longest span of time over his awards, his third in 1962 coming 26 years after his first award in 1937. In awards presented solely after the Second World War, this distinction is held among male athletes by rower Jüri Jaanson, who won the award three times over fifteen years (1990–2004), and among female athletes by Erika Salumäe and Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, who each won their awards over fourteen-year periods (1983–1996 and 1997–2010 respectively).

Three members of the same family have each won Athlete of the Year: Ulvi Voog-Indrikson in 1957, her daughter Kaire Indrikson in 1977, and her granddaughter Triin Aljand in 2011 and 2012.

### By year

**Single award (1955–1966; 2020)**

| Year | Athlete of the Year | Athlete of the Year | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - |
| Year | Athlete | Sport | Ref. |
| 1955 | Feliks Pirts | Shot put |
| 1956 | Uno Palu | Decathlon |
| 1957 | Ulvi Voog-Indrikson | Swimming |
| 1958 | Uno Palu (2) | Decathlon |
| 1959 | Paul Keres | Chess |
| 1960 | Hanno Selg | Modern pentathlon | |
| 1961 | Toomas Leius | Tennis | |
| 1962 | Paul Keres (2) | Chess |
| 1963 | Toomas Leius (2) | Tennis | |
| 1964 | Ants Antson | Speed skating |
| 1965 | Toomas Leius (3) | Tennis | |
| 1966 | Mart Vilt | Middle-distance running |
| From 1967–2019 the award was split into male and female categories (see below) ||||
| 2020 | Ott Tänak (2) and Martin Järveoja | Rallying | |

**Split award (1967–2019; 2021– )**

| Year | Male | Male | Female | Female | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Year | Athlete | Sport | Athlete | Sport | Ref. |
| 1967 | Jaan Talts | Weightlifting | Laine Erik | Middle-distance running | |
| 1968 | Jaan Talts (2) | Weightlifting | Laine Erik (2) | Middle-distance running |
| 1969 | Jaan Talts (3) | Weightlifting | Svetlana Tširkova | Fencing |
| 1970 | Jaan Talts (4) | Weightlifting | Tiiu Parmas | Tennis |
| 1971 | Vambola Helm | Motorcycle racing | Luule Tull | Motorcycle racing |
| 1972 | Jaan Talts (5) | Weightlifting | Raissa Ruus | Middle-distance running |
| 1973 | Ain Vilde | Ice yachting | Illa Raudik | Underwater orienteering |
| 1974 | Aavo Pikkuus | Cycling | Endla Vellend | Archery |
| 1975 | Aavo Pikkuus (2) | Cycling | Virve Holtsmeier | Archery |
| 1976 | Aavo Pikkuus (3) | Cycling | Liivi Erm | Shooting |
| 1977 | Aavo Pikkuus (4) | Cycling | Kaire Indrikson | Swimming |
| 1978 | Aavo Pikkuus (5) | Cycling | Reet Palm | Rowing |
| 1979 | Jaak Uudmäe | Triple jump | Reet Palm (2) | Rowing |
| 1980 | Jaak Uudmäe (2) | Triple jump | Marina Trofimova | Swimming |
| 1981 | Jüri Poljans | Sprint canoeing | Inna Rose | Shooting |
| 1982 | Heino Puuste | Javelin throw | Inna Rose (2) | Shooting |
| 1983 | Heino Puuste (2) | Javelin throw | Erika Salumäe | Cycling |
| 1984 | Tiit Haagma | Ice yachting | Erika Salumäe (2) | Cycling |
| 1985 | Riho Suun | Cycling | Kaija Parve-Helinurm | Biathlon |
| 1986 | Heino Puuste (3) | Javelin throw | Kaija Parve-Helinurm (2) | Biathlon |
| 1987 | Jaan Ehlvest | Chess | Erika Salumäe (3) | Cycling | |
| 1988 | Allar Levandi | Nordic combined | Erika Salumäe (4) | Cycling |
| 1989 | Jaan Ehlvest (2) | Chess | Erika Salumäe (5) | Cycling |
| 1990 | Jüri Jaanson | Rowing | Erika Salumäe (6) | Cycling |
| 1991 | Tiit Sokk | Basketball | Kristiina Nurk | Finswimming | |
| 1992 | Kaido Kaaberma | Fencing | Erika Salumäe (7) | Cycling | |
| 1993 | Indrek Sei | Swimming | Oksana Jermakova | Fencing | |
| 1994 | Ago Markvardt | Nordic combined | Margrit Tooman | Modern pentathlon | |
| 1995 | Jüri Jaanson (2) | Rowing | Erika Salumäe (8) | Cycling | |
| 1996 | Erki Nool | Decathlon | Erika Salumäe (9) | Cycling | |
| 1997 | Erki Nool (2) | Decathlon | Kristina Šmigun | Skiing | |
| 1998 | Erki Nool (3) | Decathlon | Jane Salumäe | Long-distance running | |
| 1999 | Andrus Veerpalu | Skiing | Kristina Šmigun (2) | Skiing |
| 2000 | Erki Nool (4) | Decathlon | Kristina Šmigun (3) | Skiing | |
| 2001 | Andrus Veerpalu (2) | Skiing | Heidi Rohi | Fencing | |
| 2002 | Andrus Veerpalu (3) | Skiing | Kristina Šmigun (4) | Skiing | |
| 2003 | Andrus Värnik | Javelin throw | Kristina Šmigun (5) | Skiing | |
| 2004 | Jüri Jaanson (3) | Rowing | Kristina Šmigun (6) | Skiing | |
| 2005 | Andrus Värnik (2) | Javelin throw | Maarika Võsu | Fencing | |
| 2006 | Andrus Veerpalu (4) | Skiing | Kristina Šmigun (7) | Skiing | |
| 2007 | Gerd Kanter | Discus throw | Irina Embrich | Fencing | |
| 2008 | Gerd Kanter (2) | Discus throw | Kaia Kanepi | Tennis | |
| 2009 | Andrus Veerpalu (5) | Skiing | Ksenija Balta | Long jump | |
| 2010 | Nikolai Novosjolov | Fencing | Kristina Šmigun-Vähi (8) | Skiing | |
| 2011 | Gerd Kanter (3) | Discus throw | Triin Aljand | Swimming | |
| 2012 | Heiki Nabi | Wrestling | Triin Aljand (2) | Swimming | |
| 2013 | Nikolai Novosjolov (2) | Fencing | Julia Beljajeva | Fencing | |
| 2014 | Rasmus Mägi | Hurdling | Erika Kirpu | Fencing | |
| 2015 | Mart Seim | Weightlifting | Epp Mäe | Wrestling | |
| 2016 | Rasmus Mägi (2) | Hurdling | Ksenija Balta (2) | Long jump | |
| 2017 | Ott Tänak | Rallying | Julia Beljajeva (2) | Fencing | |
| 2018 | Magnus Kirt | Javelin throw | Saskia Alusalu | Speed skating | |
| 2019 | Magnus Kirt (2) | Javelin throw | Kelly Sildaru | Freestyle skiing | |
| 2021 | Rasmus Mägi (3) | Hurdling | Katrina Lehis | Fencing | |
| 2022 | Janek Õiglane | Decathlon | Kelly Sildaru (2) | Freestyle skiing | |

### By number of wins

The tables below list the individuals who have won Athlete of the Year more than once.

Key :

| † | Indicates awards won before separate male and female categories |
| - | - |

Athlete of the Year winners (male) :

| Athlete | Sport | No. | Years won |
| - | - | - | - |
| Jaan Talts | Weightlifting | 5 | 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 |
| Aavo Pikkuus | Cycling | 5 | 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| Andrus Veerpalu | Skiing | 5 | 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009 |
| Erki Nool | Decathlon | 4 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 |
| Toomas Leius† | Tennis | 3 | 1961, 1963, 1965 |
| Heino Puuste | Javelin throw | 3 | 1982, 1983, 1986 |
| Jüri Jaanson | Rowing | 3 | 1990, 1995, 2004 |
| Gerd Kanter | Discus throw | 3 | 2007, 2008, 2011 |
| Rasmus Mägi | Hurdling | 3 | 2014, 2016, 2021 |
| Uno Palu† | Decathlon | 2 | 1956, 1958 |
| Paul Keres† | Chess | 2 | 1959, 1962 |
| Jaak Uudmäe | Triple jump | 2 | 1979, 1980 |
| Jaan Ehlvest | Chess | 2 | 1987, 1989 |
| Andrus Värnik | Javelin throw | 2 | 2003, 2005 |
| Nikolai Novosjolov | Fencing | 2 | 2010, 2013 |
| Magnus Kirt | Javelin throw | 2 | 2018, 2019 |
| Ott Tänak | Rallying | 2 | 2017, 2020 |

Athlete of the Year winners (female) :

| Athlete | Sport | No. | Years won |
| - | - | - | - |
| Erika Salumäe | Cycling | 9 | 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996 |
| Kristina Šmigun-Vähi | Skiing | 8 | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010 |
| Laine Erik | Middle-distance running | 2 | 1967, 1968 |
| Reet Palm | Rowing | 2 | 1978, 1979 |
| Inna Rose | Shooting | 2 | 1981, 1982 |
| Kaija Parve-Helinurm | Biathlon | 2 | 1985, 1986 |
| Triin Aljand | Swimming | 2 | 2011, 2012 |
| Ksenija Balta | Long jump | 2 | 2009, 2016 |
| Julia Beljajeva | Fencing | 2 | 2013, 2017 |
| Kelly Sildaru | Freestyle skiing | 2 | 2019, 2022 |
