Austria's winter sports stars disappoint: no awards 2024!

Austria's winter sports stars disappoint: no awards 2024!

At this year's award ceremony for the athletes of the year in Austria, there was an unexpected turn. Despite a remarkable dominance in various winter sports such as ski jumping and skiing alpine, the Austrian stars had to go home without one of the coveted awards. An unexpected setback, considering that these athletes usually take prices every year.

The award ceremony took place on October 3 in the Wiener Stadthalle. In the essential categories for men and women as well as for teams, there was no award for winter athletes. This unusual Situation has only occurred twice in the recent past - most recently in 2004 and 2020.

Surprising winners

In the men's category, the Kitesurfer Valentin Bontus won the title; He had shown considerable achievements on the international stage last year. For women, the javelin thrower Victoria Hudson convinced, who not only won the Austrian state championships with a throw of 66.06 meters, but also became European champion. In addition, the duo Lara Vadlau and Lukas Mähr, who won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in sailing, was recognized as the best team.

The absence of the winter athletes on the winner's platform has raised some questions. Shortly after the award ceremony, it was analyzed how the perception of the Austrian athletes changed among those who were entitled to vote. For example, while Cornelia Hütter took the excellent second place in Ski Alpin, Stefan Kraft and Manuel Feller, both of whom were among the top three of the men, also had to do without the title.

A look back at the successes

In recent years, the success of the Austrian winter athletes has been undisputed. Marcel Hirscher, who, in the period from 2012 to 2019, cleared six Nikis - Austrian sports prices - set standards in the Alpin ski. However, the talented athlete could be held back from a disease specifically this season, which endangers his return to the racing program.

It looks like, the Austrian winter athletes will do everything they can in the coming season to build on their old successes and to be able to stand on the podium again at the next athlete of the annual ceremony. However, some athletes, like an emerging skier, hope to be able to return soon despite a severe fall during the preparations.

The surprise about the lack of awards has caught many, and it remains to be seen whether the upcoming competitions and seasonal seasons will change this situation and the Austrian winter sports enthusiasts can return to the top where they are traditionally. For more information on this topic, the article from www.fr.de comprehensive insights.