Other events in Baltic States

Javelin thrower Magnus Kirt, speed skater Saskia Alusalu and rally duo Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja were announced as the winners of Estonia's athlete of the year title in their respective categories at the Stars of the Sports Year gala on Thursday night, informed LETA/BNS. 

Kirt, 28, chosen as the male athlete of the year, won his first medal at a title event this year by taking bronze at the European Championships with 85.96. In addition, Kirt improved the Estonian record on three occasions, eventually clocking in 89.75 at the IAAF Diamond League stage in Morocco in mid-July, which he won. Kirt finished second in the Diamond League Finals, public broadcaster ERR said. 

The other nominees for the title, according to the outcome of a vote, were fencer Nikolai Novosjolov, World Rally Championship (WRC) pilot Ott Tanak and decathlete and heptathlete Maicel Uibo.

24-year-old Alusalu, winner among women, was the most successful Estonian competitor in the Pyeongchang Winter Olypics, finishing fourth in the women's mass start speed skating final. Her win of the female athlete of the year title marks the first time that the women's title goes to a speed skater in Estonia. 

Previously, in 1964, when there were no separate categories for men and women, the title of athlete of the year went to speed skating Olympic champion Ants Antson. 

The other nominees for the women's title this year were tennis player Anett Kontaveit, fencer Katrina Lehis and freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru.

The team of the year, Tanak and Jarveoja, finished third in the WRC series. They won four individual stages, three of them -- Rally Finland, Rally Germany and Rally Turkey -- in a row.

The other nominees for the team title were the Estonian women's epee fencing team, the men's volleyball team and the dancing pair Konstantin Gorodilov and Dominika Bergmannova.