The sprint queen follows the serial winner, the king of athletes is crowned for the second time – and the “Euro eagles” outperform the bright women of the summer.
The track and field athletes Gina Lückenkemper and Niklas Kaul, who won European Championship gold, as well as the sensational European Cup winners from Eintracht Frankfurt are Germany’s athletes of the year 2022.
After two years with corona restrictions, the award winners were again honored at a celebratory gala in the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden in front of more than 500 guests.
Eintracht Frankfurt depends on DFB women
It was quite surprising that Eintracht was honored for the first time – because German teams really delivered this year.
In the summer, the DFB soccer players won the hearts of millions of fans with refreshing performances at the European Championships and ensured the best viewing figures of the year in sport.
But the more than 3,000 sports journalists who were entitled to vote were obviously not satisfied with reaching the final. In the 76th election, they only managed third place in the tightest of all decisions.
DFB women save German football honor
Europa League heroes from Frankfurt honored
In a year full of highlights such as the Olympics, European championships in their own country and world and European football championships, the Europa League heroes from Eintracht Frankfurt were enthroned above all teams.
The unique “white wall” at the legendary Camp Nou, fan marches across Europe and the most magical of all nights in Seville – all of this left a lasting impression.
After 25 years, the SGE broke the German curse in the second highest European competition.
“We didn’t just trigger something in Frankfurt, but gave goosebumps to Germany with a subscription,” enthused President Peter Fischer.
DBB team not even in the top 10 despite the European Championship medal
The German sprinters came in second with their gold at the home European Championships over 4×100 meters.
Bobsleigh dominator Francesco Friedrich and sensational Olympic champions in cross-country skiing Katharina Hennig and Victoria Carl even missed out on the podium.
The national basketball team did not even make it into the top 10 despite their first European Championship medal in 17 years.
Lückenkemper prevails after double gold
For women, Gina Lückenkemper had hardly given the voters a choice with her dream week in Munich.
On this glittering evening of August 16, the 26-year-old made her dream come true. After 100 meters and 10.99 seconds, Lückenkemper rushed to the finish for gold.
Her bleeding knee, her tears of joy and relief moved people.
When she saw the pictures she “not only had goosebumps but also a heart rate of 180”, the sprinter said with a broad grin.
Munich 2022: Gina Lückenkemper was seriously injured in the “gold fall”.
Another track and field athlete took second place
Only five days later she was finally crowned the sprint queen of the Olympic Stadium with relay gold.
In the vote, she clearly prevailed over long jump world champion Malaika Mihambo, who had been voted Sportswoman of the Year in the past three years.
Olympic luge champion Natalie Geisenberger, who is currently expecting her second child, came in third.
An athlete also wins the men’s race
Kaul made the fifth track and field double pack in the prestigious traditional election perfect with his second triumph after 2019.
At the home European Championship in Munich, the 24-year-old was a long way behind again, but then started a sensational race to catch up again.
After difficult years with the Olympic drama in Tokyo, the atmospheric gold coup was “emotionally worth a lot more” than the 2019 World Cup title, said Europe’s king of athletes.
In the election, the successor to tennis star Alexander Zverev beat Olympic champion Vinzenz Geiger (Nordic combination) and swimming world champion Florian Wellbrock.
All of the prizewinners had in common that, after challenging Corona years, they were finally able to celebrate appropriately again in the sophisticated Benazetsaal.