Nominees

Darren Choy, 15, Sailing, Singapore Sports School
Darren spent the year knocking the wind out of sailors everywhere. At the inaugural Asian Youth Games in July, the teenager won nine of 11 races to win a near-perfect gold. Months later, he grabbed the Byte CII World Championship. Not bad for a kid who first got into a boat six years ago.

More about Darren:
Birthday: 28 January 1994
Schools attended: St Hilda's Primary School, Singapore Sports School (current)
Notable achievements:
2008 Optimist World Team Racing Silver Medalist
2009 Byte CII World Champion
2009 Byte CII Asian Silver Medalist
2009 Asian Youth Games Champion

Aleksandar Duric, 39, Football
Quah Ting Wen, 17, Swimming
Feng Tianwei, 23, Table Tennis
Jasmine Ser, 19, Shooting

IT IS the time of the year when this newspaper picks The Straits Times Athlete of the Year.

And there is no shortage of candidates for the award, which was instituted to recognise the Singapore athlete who not only performs but also inspires, who not only impresses us but also lifts us.

This year's contenders are diverse - two males and three females from five different disciplines.

There is a 15-year-old sailor and a greying 39-year-old footballer. There is a world-class table tennis star, a swimmer whose medals would fill a cupboard and an upcoming shooter who wears a shy grin but carries a rifle.

Only one will win the award, but all have already won our admiration.

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On 8 Jan 2010, TODAY announced Elizabeth Yin as the winner beating fellow nominees, all who have done well in their field of sport in 2009, Feng Tianwei, Quah Tingwen, Hariss Harun and Jasmine Ser. (Read full story here)

Thank you to TODAY's sports desk and its readers for your support.