By David Gold

Hamish Bond_and_Eric_Murray_14-10-11October 14 - Hamish Bond and Eric Murray (pictured), New Zealand's three times world champions, and Brazilian Fabiana Beltrame, who made history at the World Rowing Championships at Lake Bled in Slovenia earlier this year, head the nominations for the 2011 World Rowing Awards.


All of the rowers nominated claimed gold medals at the World Championships, which were held from August 28 to September 4.

Murray and Bond, who will go into next year's London Olympic Games as hot favourites to claim the gold medal in the men's pair, are up against Denmark's lightweight single scull champion Henrik Stephansen and Germany'sw World Championship winning men's eight for the men's crew of the year award.

Fabiana Beltrame_14-10-11
Mother of one Beltrame (pictured) became the first Brazilian rower to take a World Championship, and she is up against Greece's double scull team Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou in the women's crew of the year category.

Czech single scull gold medal winner Mirka Knapkova completes the trio vying for that award.

Britain's Tom Aggar is nominated in the adaptive crew of the year category after his success in the single scull, as well as Ukraine's Alla Lysenko, who claimed the women's title in the same event, and the British mixed coxed four.

New Zealand's Dick Tonks is nominated for coach of the year along with Italian counterpart Gianni Postiglione, who is the Greek coach, and Czech Tomas Kacovsky, who led Knapkova to success.

The fifth and final award will be handed out for "Distinguished Service to International Rowing", with Germany's Bernd Schumacher competing with Børge Kaas Andersen from Denmark, Fred Strachan from New Zealand, Peter Morrison from Britain and Ricardo Ibarra from Argentina for the prize.

The winner will be announced at a gala dinner in Varese, Italy, on November 11, when the World Rowing Coaches Conference will take place.

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