BURBANK, CALIFORNIA (BDCi) — Brazilian MMA fighter Vitor Belfort won the greater than award in the 1st Annual ESPN Sport Science Newton Awards.
Belfort won for his spinning kick measured at an angular velocity of more than 700 degrees per second. Belfort went heel over head to knock out Luke Rockhold. Belfort beat out Andre Williams running back Boston College, DeAndre Jordan center Los Angeles Clippers, Serena Williams tennis player and LeBron James forward Miami Heat.
By: BDCiTV
In an interview with BDCi TV, translated into english, Belfort said, ” I would like to thank God for the opportunity, first of all and I am very happy with the outcome of the event. The other athletes in my category were also very talented, I am honored to take this trophy home.”
While most other award shows are based on voting, ESPN Sport Science Newton Awards are judged on scientific analysis of thousands of athletic performances from the world of sports in 2013. Here are the other winners from the event..
ESPN Sport Science Newton Awards Nominees (Winners are in bold)
Best Catch
Ben Revere, Outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies
Revere goes Superman for one of Major League Baseball’s top plays of the year
Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
Megatron goes up for a jump ball, peaking over 11 feet above ground and brings it down, beating three defenders for a touchdown
J.J Worton, Wide Receiver, University of Central Florida
Worton makes a full extension grab, stretching his body more than 8 feet in the final minutes against Temple, propelling UCF to their first ever BCS-appearance.
Kodi Whitfield, Wide Receiver, Stanford University
Whitfield makes a stunning backhand snag, giving UCLA their first loss and sending the Cardinal to the Rose Bowl
Golden Tate, Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks
While dragging his toes to stay in bounds, Tate utilizes less than 20 pounds of force on his helmet to make a one-handed snag for a touchdown against Atlanta.
Best Projectile Launch
Zach Johnson, Golfer, Northwestern Mutual World Challenge
After dumping his approach shot in the drink, Johnson holes out from the fairway on the 72nd hold to force a playoff with Tiger Woods
Matt Prater, Kicker, Denver Broncos
Prater sets an NFL record with a 64-yard field goal in 14-degree weather to help the Broncos beat the Titans in Mile High
Stephen Curry, Guard, Golden State Warriors
Curry becomes the NBA’s new 3-point king with the most in a single season
Keegan Balle, Midfielder, Rutgers University-Camden
Leading Rutgers University-Camden to the Division 3 National Championship, Belle launches a free kick more than 230 feet to find the goal
Evan Gattis, Catcher, Atlanta Braves
Against the Phillies, Gattis hits the ball 486 feet, the longest homerun of the year in MLB
Outstanding Reaction
Jose Fernandez, Pitcher, Miami Marlins
Rookie of the Year snags a 100+ mph comebacker
Kofi Sarkodie, Defender, Houston Dynamo
His goalie’s best friend, Sarkodie makes two incredible goal line saves
Bryan Brothers, Tennis, Australian Open Finals
Bob and Mike Bryan display their elite teamwork in a high-speed rally at the net in the Australian Open Finals
Tony Stewart, Driver, Nationwide at Daytona
With cars colliding to his side and behind, Stewart makes an incredible move at 180mph to avoid a close call 12-car wreck and win the Nationwide Drive4COPD at Daytona
Tuukka Rask, Goalie, Boston Bruins
Rask stops 5 shots during chaos in the crease in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals
Best Throw
Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers finds wide receiver Jordy Nelson with a laser, releasing the ball at nearly 60 mph to dissect the 49ers
Manny Machado, Third Baseman, Baltimore Orioles
Ranging to his right, well past the third base line, Machado releases the ball with an angular velocity of 1300 degrees per second to burn a Yankee with his hot corner heave
Jameis Winston, Quarterback, Florida State University
The eventual Heisman Trophy winner fights off Boston College defenders and launches a 57-mph Hail Mary just .06 seconds before contact to burn BC
Yasiel Puig, Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
Rookie sensation Puig releases a 95-mph throw from right field to gun down a baserunner from over 200 feet away
Torrance Gibson, Quarterback, American Heritage High School
An amazing scramble results in a run and gun heave for the touchdown
Most Improbable
Boston Bruins
Down by 3 goals in the 3rd period, the Bruins rally to defeat Toronto in overtime for one of hockey’s greatest comebacks of all time
Oracle Team USA
Down 1-8, the US sailers make a historic comeback by taking 8 straight races to win America’s Cup over New Zealand, 9-8
Khalil Edney, Guard, New Rochelle High School
After he steals back his own stolen in-bounds pass, Edney hits an insane 49-foot game winning buzzer beater from past half court
Auburn University
Capping an incredible comeback season, led by coach Guz Malzahn, Auburn returns a game-winning walk off field goal against Alabama with a 109-yard miracle
Florida Gulf Coast University
One of the greatest Cinderella stories in NCAA basketball history, Florida Gulf Coast knocks off number 2 seed Georgetown to become the first ever number 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16.
Outstanding New Limit
Valery Rozov, Base Jumper Mt. Everest
Launching off Mount Everest at an altitude of 23,688 feet above sea level, Rozov breaks the world record for highest base jump ever
Joey Chestnut, Competitive Eater, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
Consuming a hotdog every 8.7 seconds, Chestnut downs a world record 69 hotdogs in 10 minutes
Diana Nyad, Swimmer, Cuba to Florida
At the age of 64, Nyad swims 110 miles from Havana to Key West in 53 hours, without a shark tank
Ethen Godfrey-Roberts, BMX, Nitro CIrcus
Godfrey-Roberts lands the first ever Superman Double Backflip
Garrett McNamara, Surfer, Portugal
In Portugal, McNamara surfs an estimated 100-foot wave, roughly 17 times his own height, setting what is thought to be a new world record
Best Flight
Mitchie Brusco, Skateboarding, X Games Barcelona
On the Megaramp, Brusco lands the first Big Air 1080 in X Games history
Javonte Douglas, Forward, College of Central Florida
Douglas becomes a web sensation by reaching 12 feet in the air to throw down a posterizing putback for the College of Central Florida
Henrik Harlaut, Skiing, X Games Aspen
Harlaut wins X Games gold with 1620 degrees of total rotation during a trick named the Nose Butter Triple Cork
Shaun White, Snowboarding, X Games Aspen
White soars to 24’1′, the highest recorded amplitude in X Games Snowboard Superpipe history
Outstanding Agility
Tony Parker, Guard, San Antonio Spurs
Averaging 2.6 dribbles per second, Parker ices the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals by getting two the hard way
Lionel Messi, Forward, FC Barcelona
Generating an estimated 3Gs of acceleration with each cut, Messi weaves through the Athletic Bilbao defense to score a classic goal
Jose Iglesias, Shortstop, Detroit Tigers
MLB’s Web Gem of the Year, Iglesias’ lightning fast and release is a result of his arm rotating at roughly 1300 degrees per second
Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Texas A&M
The Heisman Trophy winner pulls off a houdini-like escape against #1 Alabama before completing a pass for a big gain
Giovanni Bernard, Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals
Rookie runner spins and slices through the Dolphins defense, covering more than 100 yards for a zig-zag touchdown