Ten top Polish athletes were named best sportspeople of the year in the annual ranking organised jointly by "Sports Review" daily and the state television TVP. It has been the 74th edition of this popularity rating.
 
2008 was the year of  Robert Kubica, the only  Pole in F1 races and it came as no surprise that almost one hundred thirty thousand Poles voted him the best athlete of the year. He was followed by gold medalist in male gymnastics Leszek Blanik who received over one hundred twenty one thousand votes while the third in the ranking was gold medalist in shot put from Beijing, Tomasz Majewski. The first woman in the top ten, a mountain biker and the silver medalist of the  women's cross country cycling at the Beijing Olympics, Maja Wloszczowska came in sixth. Tennis player Natalia Partyka and swimmer Katarzyna Pawlik were named best disabled athletes of 2008. The best sports event of last year was a bicycle race Tour de Pologne while a retired ice hockey player Mariusz Czerkawski was recognised for his lifetime sports achievements.

"Sports Review" ("Przeglad Sportowy") was founded in 1921 in Krakow. It is one of the oldest sports dailies in the world. 

Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Danuta Isler.