Top sporting performances: The best swimmers of 2024!

Top sporting performances: The best swimmers of 2024!

Excitement was high when the winners of the 2024 SWIM Awards were announced. Readers of SWIM.DE have voted and the big winner is Event of the year in the pool category it was clearly the Olympic Games in Paris with an impressive 52.0% of the votes. These games not only offered exciting competitions, but also the exciting environment of the sold-out La Défense Arena, where up to 17,000 spectators cheered on the athletes on each day of competition. León Marchand stole the spotlight as the standout swimmer with four gold medals, while Summer McIntosh and Mollie O'Callaghan won three gold medals each.

In addition, the water-friendly open water events in Paris were rewarded with 32.3% of the votes. Despite the challenges posed by the current and the athletes' occasional digestive problems, the impressive images in front of the Eiffel Tower were incomparable. In the category Athlete of the Year Elena Semechin and Nils Ehlers were honored as outstanding athletes by the Berlin Sports Gala. Semechin, a para-swimmer, set a new world record and won gold at the Paralympics with a time of 1:12.54 minutes after undergoing brain tumor diagnosis and intensive chemotherapy. Ehlers, who also won the Olympic silver medal and the European Championship silver medal, is celebrated as athlete of the year in Berlin.

The teams were also honored. The Alba women once again asserted themselves as the best women's team, while the Berlin Eisbären won the title of team of the year, underlining the city's sporting tradition. Serge Aubin, their coach, was also honored as Coach of the Year and highlighted the importance of collective efforts for success. These awards highlight the talented athletes and teams that shaped 2024 and enlivened the sports landscape in Berlin and beyond.