BEST CRO ATHLETES - SKIER J. KOSTELIC AND WEIGHT-LIFTER PESHALOV

ZAGREB, Dec 24 (Hina) - Croatia's best sportswoman and sportsman for 2000 are skier Janica Kostelic and weight-lifter Nikolay Peshalov, according to the polls conducted by the only national sports daily "Sportske Novine".#L# The daily has carried out the 49th annual poll among 438 journalists in 68 editorial boards, and the ceremony of the declaration of best athletes took place in Zagreb on Sunday. 321 reporters voted for Janica Kostelic as the best female athlete in 2000. Kostelic - the best for the three consecutive years - was followed by Ivan Brkljacic (with 52 votes), the world junior champion in the throwing of the hammer and the only Croatian athlete who entered the finals of track-and-field sports at the Sydney Olympic Games. The third best female athlete is a volleyball player Barbara Jelic (41). The best female team is the national volleyball team. The best sportsman Nikolay Peshalov - the winner of the gold Olympic medal - mustered 247 votes. The second best athlete is swimmer Gordan Kozulj (133 votes), the last year's best national sportsman. Niko Pulic - European motor-racing champion at mountainous tracks (Category A - was the third-ranked with 23 votes. The best male team was the coxed eights that won the bronze medal at the Olympic rowing competition (415 votes). The fair play trophy was bestowed on a soccer player of the Osijek club, Nenad Bijelica, who had paid costs of fare for three busses transporting Osijek fans to Prague for a match between Osijek and Slavia at the UEFA competition and who donated balls to two local clubs in Istria. Present at the ceremony were Croatian top officials such as Premier Ivica Racan and Croatian Olympic Committee chairman Zdravko Hebel - who congratulated the awarded athletes and wished them even better results in the coming year - public figures, politicians, reporters and many athletes. (hina) ms