SPORT BILD Award 2024 honors Germany’s Olympic stars – Axel Springer SE

Several gold medalists honored / Athlete Owen Ansah honored as “Surprise of the Year” / Yemisi Ogunleye provided “Moment of the Year” in the shot put

An evening dedicated to the Olympics and the European Football Championship: For the 22nd time, Europe’s largest sports magazine honored outstanding athletes with the SPORT BILD Award in nine categories. More than 600 guests from sports, business and the media attended the award ceremony in the Hamburg fish auction hall. The event was moderated by TV presenter Andrea Kaiser and Matthias Brügelmann, editor-in-chief of sports for the BILD Group and WELT Group. The big sports gala was opened by Cult saxophonist André Schnurawho thrilled fans with his music during the European Football Championship.

The first prize of the evening went to the swimmer Lukas Märtens (22) for his outstanding performance at the Olympic Games in Paris. He won gold in the 400 meter freestyle on the first day of the Olympic Games. It was the first German gold in Paris and the first Olympic victory by a pool swimmer since 1988. For this, Märtens was awarded the “Special Prize of the Editor-in-Chief” appreciated.

For the “Surprise of the year” athlete Owen Ansah (23), who made history in the 100 meters: At the German Championships in Braunschweig, he was the first German sprinter to break the 10-second mark. With 9.99 seconds in the 100 meters, he secured the record – and today the SPORT BILD Award for the “Surprise of the Year.”

If “Team of the Year” became Bayer Leverkusen For the first time in the club’s history, the team from Trainer Xabi Alonso (42) the German championship and achieved something historic: Leverkusen was the first team in Bundesliga history to go through the season undefeated and also won the double by winning the DFB Cup.

Another remarkable team performance was “Newcomer of the Year” awarded: The 3×3 women’s national team in basketball won a thrilling final against Spain in Paris and thus secured gold in their first Olympic appearance. Sonja Greinacher (32), Elisa Mevius (20), Marie Reichert (23) and Svenja Brunckhorst (32) achieved the first Olympic victory for a team from the German Basketball Association. In a conversation with Matthias Brügelmann on stage, Svenja Brunckhorst confirmed the end of her active career despite the Olympic victory: “I think it is a perfect end.”

Also at „TV-Award” There was one team that most convinced the jury of the SPORT BILD Awards: Fritzy Kromp (39), Christoph Kramer (33) and Per Mertesacker (39), ZDF’s football experts for the 2024 European Championship, accompanied viewers through this year’s European Championship with expertise, wit and charm. At the awards ceremony, Fritzy Kromp summed up the mood of the presenting trio: “Above all, we had one thing: a lot of fun.”

Shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye (25) amazed the whole world when she cleared 20 metres in her last attempt at the Olympic Games and thus secured first place on the podium – clearly the “Moment of the year”On the stage of the SPORT BILD Awards, Ogunleye revealed that she had a very good feeling about the Olympic Games: “I just knew: The day has come and today you can show the world what you are capable of.” She also thanked her coach, who has always supported her “not only as an athlete, but above all as a person.”

Afterwards, Ogunleye presented the award for the “Amateur Coach of the Year” an Christopher Paul (47). He is a volunteer coach at the SG Oftersheim football club in Baden-Württemberg. There, Paul trains youth teams with over 60 girls and boys. He has also built up the largest contingent of junior referees in the region.

If “Star of the Year” The SPORT BILD Award honored an exceptional talent: Darya Varfolomeev won five gold medals at the World Championships in Valencia in 2023, then the first ever German Olympic gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics in Paris. The 17-year-old is the industry’s shooting star. With the gold medal, she has achieved an important personal goal, she said at the awards ceremony: “Now my dream has come true.”

Finally, football legend Franz Beckenbauer posthumously for his Life’s work The “Emperor” died on January 7th at the age of 78. Heidi Beckenbauer accepted the award on behalf of the couple and touched the audience when she shared her view of her late husband in conversation with Matthias Brügelmann: “Franz was and is our favorite person. His big heart was there for everyone, he was there for everyone. Despite all his successes and trophies and honors that he received, he always remained down to earth.”

All winners of the SPORT BILD Award 2024 at a glance:

• Special prize from the editor-in-chief: Lukas Märtens
• Surprise of the year: Owen Ansah
• Team of the year: Bayer Leverkusen
• Newcomer of the year: 3×3 women’s national team
• TV Awards: Fritzy Kromp, Christoph Kramer, Per Mertesacker
• Amateur Coach of the Year: Christopher Paul
• Moment of the Year: Yemisi Ogunleye
• Star des Jahres: Darja Varfolomeev
• Life’s work: Franz Beckenbauer