Hardy Wins Aquatic Athlete of the Year

Jessica Hardy at the 2011 Shanghai World Championship after
winning the gold in the 50 breaststroke. 

           On No.10, USA swimming member, Jessica Hardy was awarded the Aquatic Athlete of the Year award at The Long Beach Aquatic Capital of America Foundation’s 3rd annual Aquatic Athlete of the Year Ceremony in Long Beach, Calif. 

             Hardy was recognized for her accomplishments at the 2011 FINA World Championships held in Shanghai and USA Swimming’s National Championships in Palo Alto, CA both held this summer.  Hardy became a world champion in the 50-meter breaststroke and a U.S. national champion in the 100-meter breaststroke. She took silver along with her teammates in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay in Shanghai.

Hardy currently holds three world records, both the long and short course record in the 50-meter breaststroke and the long course record for the100-meter breaststroke. “When someone is breaking world records like that and defending them all over the world, you have to respect and honor that commitment to the sport,” said Ray Burton, board member at the Long Beach Aquatic Capital of America Foundation.

            Burton served as the night’s emcee and Tom Shadden, who serves as co-chair of the board along with Burton, handed out the awards. The dinner was hosted by law-firm Keesal, Young & Logan. Hardy’s parents, Denise and Bill Robinson, were on hand to accept the award on their daughter’s behalf. Hardy was unable to attend because she was competing in Minneapolis at the first grand prix of USA Swimming’s Grand Prix Series.

Hardy won against a number of other aquatic athletes including open water swimmers Ted Bramble, Parks Wesson and Lexie Kelly; two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor, along with a number of other athletes. A committee set up by the foundation looks at eight categories of sports and chooses the nominees and winner for the year. “We look at the range of competition, success in that competition, and to what extent it has brought recognition to the sport and to our community,” Burton said.

This is Hardy’s second Aquatic Athlete of the Year award.  She is a Long Beach, Calif. Native and graduated from Wilson High School in 2005.