All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center has revealed results of the latest opinion poll in which Russian people expressed their opinion about the most notable Russian sportsmen in 2011.

      According to the poll, Andrey Arshavin was named Sportsman of the Year in Russia. "Arsenal" London's midfielder and the Russian national team captain has become the most popular sports person for the fourth consecutive year. However, his rating has been steadily falling, from 18 per cent in 2008 to 5 per cent in 2011.

      These results rather mark Arshavin's popularity among Russian football fans than his deeds, as 2011 wasn't  very successful for his career. He ceased to be Arsene Wengere’s first choice forward for Arsenal, while in international competitions he lacked stability.

      Martial Arts repeated champion Fyodor Emelianenko took the second place in the rating (4%) in company with biathlete Olga Zaitseva and boxer Nikolay Valuev (4% each). The next place was occupied by figure skater Yevgeny Plushenko and boxer Alexander Povetkin (2%). 

      There are also a lot of sportsmen in the rating, such as gymnast Alina Kabaeva and figure skaters Aleksey Yagudin and Irina Slutskaya, who has finished their sports career but still aren't forgotten by their fans.  

Sources: Sportbox.ru Image: sport.rbc.ua