Thon Hotel Arena in Lillestrøm was the venue for Saturday’s conference and gala dinner with an awards ceremony. Prizes are awarded based on sports results in diving and swimming. In addition, the fanatic of the year is also appointed in recognition of the good work done by the club, and the volunteer efforts made.

Fall this year

21-year-old Helle Tuxen of Pingvin Stupklubb earned the title of “Plungeer of the Year”. A title she also won in 2020 and 2022. Helle has performed well at NCAAs and made it to the finals at all levels. He made it to the EC final for seniors in the 3 meters and also came close to the final in the steeple. A final place finish in the 3m also took her into the new World Aquatics competition format starting in 2023.

Swimmer of the year

This year’s swimmer is Henrik Christiansen of Lambertseter Swimming Club. He impressed with two medals at the WC short track in Melbourne in December 2022 where he took silver in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m freestyle. Henrik Christiansen also won the King’s Cup on the NM long track in July 2023.

The best swimmers of the year

The “Best swimmers of the year” award is a repeat of last year. 21-year-old Fredrik Solberg’s result in the 2023 para WC was the best performance of the year in international competition. Fredrik, who belongs to the Tønsberg Swimming Club, took silver in the 50 meter freestyle during the WC in Manchester and set a strong personal record by 0.5 seconds.

Diving coach of the year and swimming coach of the year

The awards as “Diving Coach of the Year” and “Swimming Coach of the Year” are basically given to the coach who has the athlete or athletes with the best international results. At the same time, assessment is carried out based on criteria such as the number of athletes and progress.

Diving coach of the year

The “diving coach of the year” was Espen Bergslien from Bergen Diving Club. Its athletes have shown strong performances in both the junior and senior teams in Norwegian diving. Among the athletes were Isak Børslien, who qualified for the junior EC and WC and Caroline Kupka, who participated in the senior EC and was only 5 points away from the final position. He also set a new Norwegian record in the 3 meters event.

Swimming coach of the year

The “swimming coach of the year” was Kay-Arild Paulsen. This season, its athletes have shown strong progress, with WC Fredrik Solberg’s silver medal being the biggest highlight. In addition, there are three swimmers who have qualified for the WC short course in Melbourne in December 2022. In Melbourne, there are relay, semi-final and final medals for one of the athletes and for the other athlete two Nordic and semi records. -final. There were two swimmers who qualified for the WC long track in Fukuoka in July 2023. In the WC long track, personal records were set by both athletes, and one of the athletes made it to the semifinals. Kay-Arild Paulsen is a trainer at Elitesenter Bergen.

The best diving club and the best swimming club

Only a few people succeed in achieving success without the help of their immediate environment. This also applies to athletes who often rely on a strong club community.

Best diving club

The “best diving club” is Bergen Diving Club as they were the club with the best overall results at the NM junior, NM senior and National Finals.

Best swimming club

In swimming, the best swimming club of the year was selected based on the results of NM youth track, NM short track, ÅM and NM long track. In addition, clubs earn points for participants and results from EC and WC, short and long track, as well as WC long track for athletes.

The “best swimming club” is Stavanger Swimming Club.

Development club of the year

The “development club of the year” award is given to clubs that have a high percentage of active member development, as well as positive developments in the development of the competencies of coaches and club managers, as well as other activities in the club.

The Development Club of the Year was Oslo Idrettslag Swimming, which has seen a huge growth in the number of active athletes in the last two years. They also offer para swimming, and many are practicing. Competition activities consist of swimming, master swimming and artistic swimming. In 2022, the club surpassed 5,000 active members.

Firefighter of the year

This year’s awards ceremony ended with what was considered the most important award of the evening. Norwegian sport would not have achieved the same great success if it were not for the many incredible volunteers who every day help create activities that bring togetherness, joy, friendship and health to young and old. NSF would like to celebrate the volunteerism and invaluable efforts made by fanatics across the country to create excitement in sports with the “Arets ildsjel” award.

The jury behind selecting “Firefighter of the Year” received numerous nominations for the award and has selected three finalists in the category; Ella Cathrine Schøning from Larvik Swimming Club, Harriet Engesvik from Namsos Water Polo Club, and Odd Rydning from Troms Swimming Circle.

“The fiery spirit of the year” is Odd Rydning. The judges’ choices were based on Odd’s commitment to the joy of swimming, demonstrated in several ways. Odd has served on the circuit board for the past 30 years and served mostly as treasurer. Since 1988, he has sat on the board of the Harstad Swim Club. Over the years, Odd has made a difference. He shows judgment and control in his position which is invaluable in many contexts. After his own children were no longer active athletes, Odd defended today’s athletes and became the glue for today’s circuit boards. Despite the fact that Odd turns 80 in 2022, he has control over application deadlines, takes the initiative for development, and encourages growth within the circle. We congratulate Odd Rydning as “2023 Firefighter of the Year.”