May 9, 2003
Stanford, Ca - Tony Azevedo, who is regarded as one of the great water polo players in the world, has earned another prestigious honor.
Azevedo, a sophomore who has led Stanford University to two NCAA championships, has been named by Men's Journal as one of the 20 best athletes in the world in its June issue. Azevedo joins other notables such as Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, soccer star Ronaldo, NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett, gymnast Alexei Nemov, swimmer Ian Thorpe, cyclist Lance Armstrong, NHL All-Star Sergei Fedorov, Tiger Woods, and Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez.
According to Men's Journal, the list was started by "asking insiders in just about every sport we could think of, from pro football to badminton to big-wave surfing, who the best athlete in their sport is."
The magazine asked a panel of sports experts including a renowned sports physiologist Jim Wharton, a former Olympic downhill skier David Currier, the world's foremost orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Steadman, and two ESPN anchors, Jeremy Schaap and Stuart Scott among others - "to grade the ten athletes who inspired us most in seven categories." The seven categories were strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, and endurance, plus a couple a couple intangibles, with each getting a score between and ten, according to the magazine.
Men's Journal Top 20 list of Best Athletes in the World
1. Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons QB)
The 6-foot, 215-pound Vick runs a 4.3 40, has a 38-inch vertical leap, can bench-press 320 pounds, and once threw a football 80 yards in the air.
Total: 63.43 points
2. Bode Miller (Ski Racer, U.S. Ski Team)
Miller won the 2002 Met-Rx Superstars competition, outrunning, outkayaking, outswimming, and outcycling NFL running back Curtis Martin, linebacker LaVar Arrington, and tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Total: 63.42 points
3. Ronaldo (Forward, Real Madrid/Brazilian National Team)
The world's most explosive soccer player who can accelerate to full speed in three steps, then score from any angle, with either foot
Total: 60.29 points
4. Bob Burnquist (Skateboarder, Brazil)
Burnquist is most famous for pioneering "switch" tricks - maneuvers that are exact mirror images of what came before.
Total: 59.6 points
5. Alexei Nemov (Gymnast, Russia)
Has won 12 Olympic medals ... Has mastered a whole menu of athletic virtues: foot speed (the vault), agility (the parallel bars), and hand-eye coordination (the pommel horse).
Total: 58.8 points
6. Kevin Garnett (Forward, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Has missed only seven games due to injury in seven-plus years in the NBA.
Total: 58.43 points
7. Tony Azevedo (Water Polo, Stanford)
His upperbody strength is "superhuman". He's been known to carry three opponents on his back and still score with his free hand ... Must swim all-out for about three miles in the course of a 28-miniute game, and up to 20 miles during an Olympic round-robin tournament.
Total: 56.7 points
8. Roman Sebrle (Decathlete, Czech Republic)
The world record holder in the decathlon (9,026 points) ... Sebrle is the perfect athlete, since it was the ancient Greeks who invented the decathlon.
Total: 55.99 points
9. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (Biathlete, Norway)
What biathletes have to do is harder than anything else in sports ... Won Olympic goal medals at Salt Lake City Olympics.
Total: 54.8 points
10. Ian Thorpe (Swimmer, Australia)
Thorpe's freestyle-stroke technique, powered by a nearly nine-foot wingspan, is something that no one else in swimming can copy ... Size 17 feet (they are human flippers).
Total 53.83 points
Second Ten (Alphabetical Order)
Lance Armstrong (cyclist, USA)
Has power, sprinting ability, and a dancer's agility in the heavy traffic of the peloton.
Sergei Fedorov (Center, Detroit Red Wings)
The fastest, most explosive player in the NHL ... Can skate backward faster than most of his attacking opponents can skate forward.
Laird Hamilton (Big-Wave Surfer, USA)
As physically gifted and as aggressive a surfer as there ever was.
Taufik Hidayat (Badminton Player, Indonesia)
His average match lasts 45 minutes, 37 of which are played at a full-on sprint ... His sport requires hand-eye coordination that rivals any major league hitters.
Roy Jones, Jr (Boxer, USA)
His punching power and hand speed stem from his relentless leg strengthening work ... The only fighter ever to win world titles as a middleweight, super middleweight, light-heavyweight, and heavyweight.
Davo Karnicar (Mountain Climber, Slovenia)
It was enough that he summited Mt. Everest in the first place ... But then he skied down to base camp, becoming the only man ever to make it from the top.
Khalid Khannouchi (Marathoner, USA)
The world record holder ... He runs at what most people consider a dead sprint - for two hours.
Alex Rodriguez (Shortstop, Texas Rangers)
Doing what Ted Williams called "the toughest thing in sports,", Rodriguez led the majors in home runs (57) and RBI's (142).
Marat Safin (Tennis Player, Russia)
His topspin serves often break 125 mph ... He's the game's most graceful big man (6-foot-4).
Tiger Woods (Golfer, USA)
Clearly the best athlete in his sport ... His hand-eye coordination is obviously better than everybody else's, the power generated by his strokes comes from superior leg strength and torso flexibility, and his touch in the short game is unparalleled.
Azevedo will be in action as a member of the United States National Team when Stanford University hosts the U.S. Cup Water Polo Challenge from May 15-18 at the Avery Aquatic Center. The five team tournament will feature the United States (A and B teams), Serbia & Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), Australia, and Canada.
During the four day run of the tournament, in addition to 15 games, there will be an Autograph Night with the United States, the Serbian Montenegro team and Canada, a California Beach Party, A Rock 'N Polo Teen Night and a Sponsor & Fan Appreciation Night.
On Sunday, May 18 (9:00 a.m. to noon), there will be a clinic featuring U.S. Olympic Coach Ratko Rudic and members of the United States team and several international players. See www.uswaterpolocup.com for additional clinic registration information or contact Mamm Hudnall at (650) 949-3622 or mammp@yahoo.com.
Thursday, May 15
7:00 p.m. - Serbia & Montenegro vs Australia
8:15 p.m. - United States (A) vs United States (B)
Friday, May 16
7:00 p.m. - United States (B) vs Canada
8:15 p.m. - United States (A) vs Australia
Saturday, May 17
11:00 a.m. - United States (B) vs Australia
12:15 p.m. - Canada vs Serbia & Montenegro
7:00 p.m. - United States (B) vs Serbia & Montenegro
8:15 p.m. - United States (A) vs Canada
Sunday, May 18
4:15 p.m. - Canada vs Australia5:30 p.m. - United States (A) vs Serbia & Montenegro
Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-STANFORD or www.uswaterpolocup.com. A four day Olympian Package event pass will sell for $250, and that includes on-deck seating, access to the VIP tent and an event t-shirt. A Patriot Package is a four day event pass that will be $45 for adults, and students/children 6-18 for $35. Kids five and under will be admitted free.
Single day tickets (sold by session) are available on game day only and subject to availability. The May 15-17 sessions are $12 for adults, children/students for $10, while the May 18 session will be $15 for adults, and $12 for children/students.