In a sporting year that offered numerous sporting highlights – with handball and European football championships, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a sensational ice hockey World Cup, a 3×3 European Basketball Championship with Austria’s home victory and much more – the atmosphere at the Sporthilfe Gala was great particularly positive.
Even Austria’s perhaps most famous sports star David Alabathree-time athlete of the year, was there live in the town hall for the first time this year – accompanied by his parents. The presentation of the Special Award Dominic Thiemwho found tennis here in the town hall, and who will soon be here in the town hall First Bank Open celebrating his farewell to professional tennis was an emotional highlight of the gala on Thursday.
Standing ovation for the tennis star, big words not only from friend Alaba, but also from the big three of tennis, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal over the video screen. Thiem thanked Alaba for coming: “That’s anything but a given!”
Gold and record
About the award for Athlete of the Year 2024 Valentin Bontus be happy. The 23-year-old Olympic kite champion apparently can’t help but be happy since he won bronze at the World Championships and won the Olympics in Marseille in August. “It’s still a bit surreal,” he admitted on stage. “There’s still a lot of organizational work to be done and then it’ll definitely get going. One or two beers will probably be drunk and we’ll see where the evening ends,” said the water sports enthusiast, who is known for celebrating the festivals the way they do fall.
The NIKI for female athlete of the year Victoria Hudson with her European championship title (64.62 meters) and her sensational Austrian record of 66.06. Hudson has made it to the top in a world sport, and that didn’t go unnoticed by the jury. “I did very well in Rome, not so well in Paris and now I’m doing very well again,” said Hudson, referring to the Olympic Games that were a botch for her. “Javelin is an individual sport, but there are about 50 people behind me that you don’t see. I would like to thank them.”
The female athlete of the year with a disability is also a javelin thrower. Natalia Eder can look forward to her second NIKI after 2016. The 44-year-old won bronze at the Paralympics and silver at the World Championships this year.
Also for the second time received Para-Cycler Thomas Frühwirth the athlete of the year award. The Paralympics athlete impressed with his two silver medals in Paris.
A number of teams made the Austrian sports audience cheer this year. In the end, the choice fell on the golden sailing duo Lara Vadlau and Luke Mähr.
“I was recently asked for selfies at the gas station. We didn’t know that otherwise, that’s a total honor for us,” says Vadlau, who completed her medical studies with 1.1 between her sporting successes.
Lukas Mähr and Lara Vadlau are the team of the year
Successful climbers
The jury chose climbing coach Kilian Fischhuber for Trainer Personality of the Year. The Austrian climbing stars Jessica Mushroom and Jacob Schubert picked up in Paris from the Olympic Games each bronze.
Newcomer of the year is the handball national team goalkeeper Constantin Möstlwho claimed on stage that he “can’t remember anything” because the European Championships were “like being in a trance” for him and the whole team. He wasn’t able to celebrate the award, which he was visibly happy about and which he dedicated to “the entire team.” Because Möstl has to go back to training on Friday.
There were a number of exciting sporting moments again this year, including Christoph Baumgartner’s record goal, friends Stefan Keaft and Daniel Huber flying against each other for the crystal ball, the Austrian handball players with their draw against Spain, which catapulted them into the main round of the European Championships, and many more more.
According to the jury, they created the most emotional sporting moment of the year 3×3 wheelchair basketball players as well as that 3×3 men’s national teamwhich sensationally won the title at the home European Championships. Nico Kaltenbrunner accepted the award on behalf of the team, Matthias Wastian for the wheelchair team. Both emphasized the energy of the fans in the city, who brought “the last percent” for success in the final.
According to the organizers, the big winner of the evening is local sport as a whole: The Sporthilfe Gala is Austria’s largest sports fundraising event. 500,000 euros in proceeds will benefit Austrian athletes. This year the gala took place in front of a record crowd. “We are particularly pleased about this new record of 1,500 guests,” said Sporthilfe President Susanne Riess-Hahn and managing director Gernot Uhlir.
(kurier.at, kks)
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03.10.2024, 21:53
