Universal Sports comes out each year with the years best breakout performance. Erin Hamlin’s nomination was well deserved. Erin, who is only 23-years-old, was a dark horse who turned the luge world inside out. Earlier this year at the luge world championships in Lake Placid Erin blew the minds of everyone in the luge world. Not only did she have her first podium finish in her four-year career, she beat out the favorite, Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger and stopped Germany’s 12-year winning streak. Her win brought the United States its very first women’s luge world title. Natalie had this to say about Germany’s loss: “It was a little bit of a shock for us, but one day we knew it would come, and today is the day.”
Congress went so far as to publish an official citation in the Congressional Record honoring Erin and referred to her as an “outstanding young athlete.”
| BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Additional nominees |
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| Athlete |
Nation |
Sport |
| Elizabeth Beisel | USA | Swimming |
| Julius Brink/Jonas Reckermann | Germany | Beach volleyball |
| Alistair Brownlee | Great Britain | Triathlon |
| Charlie Davies | USA | Soccer |
| Bill Demong | USA | Nordic |
| Lara Gut | Switzerland | Alpine |
| Lia Jiayu | China | Snowboarding |
| Jen Kessy/April Ross | USA | Beach volleyball |
| Todd Lodwick | USA | Nordic |
| Jānis Miņins | Latvia | Bobsled |
| Kikkan Randall | USA | Cross-country skiing |
| Liliya Shobukhova | Russia | Marathon |
| U.S. Nordic Ski Team | USA | Nordic |
| Alejandro Valverde | Spain | Cycling |
| Lindsey Van | USA | Ski jumping |
| Maggie Vessey | USA | Track & field |