Peter Sagan(Cannondale) won Slovakian athlete of the year, as he beats ice hockey star Marian Hossa(Chicago Blackhawks) and alpine ski racer Veronika Velez-Zuzulova to gather home the award.

With 22 victories in 2013, this award is fully deserved for the Cannondale rider, not to mention the victory list includes a lot of prestigous races, like a stage in Tour de France, the Ghent-Wevelgem, and the queen stage of Tirreno - Adriatico. Also there's two second places in monuments, Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders. Although he still doesn't have a monument win, it could come soon in future years, as the Slovakian sprinter improves a lot on his climbing ability and racing experience.

Marian Hossa, the runner-up of the award, does have a decent claim on winning the prize, too. The 33-year-old ice hockey player won the Stanley Cup(NHL champion) with the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring 7 goals and 9 assists in the cup-winning journey. Still, Sagan's great performance means that he must accept the second place in the award.

Sagan is the second cyclist to win the award. The first one is Milan Dvorscik, in 1994, when he got a silver medal in the amateur race of UCI Road World Championships.