At the coronation after this special year, Malaika Mihambo and Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge looked into the almost deserted hall, Leon Draisaitl greeted from Canada on an oversized screen: Germany’s best athletes remained the very large frame in the Kurhaus Baden-Baden denied, but they received the award for their achievements in the Corona year 2020 at a gala under the sign of the pandemic.
Long jumper Mihambo, national ice hockey striker Leon Draisaitl and the soccer players of FC Bayern Munich are the “Sportsman of the Year” 2020. That is the result of an online vote by 960 sports journalists, which was announced on Sunday evening. Basketball superstar Dirk Nowitzki, biathlete Magdalena Neuner and the beach volleyball duo Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst were also honored for the first time in Germany’s sporting legends of the decade.
Mihambo received the award for the second time in a row. For the world champion, the year went very differently than expected: Due to the postponed Olympic Games, the gold favorite has to wait a few more months until her dream can be fulfilled. The planned training with the nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis also had to be postponed. “That was an extraordinary year, so it wasn’t to be expected. There were no big, extraordinary competitions in athletics, ”said the long jumper as a guest on the stage.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old was in top form again this year: World annual best of 7.03 meters – from a shortened attempt. With that, Mihambo (898 points) once again impressed the world of sports and narrowly beat British Open winner Sophia Popov (781) and three-time track cycling world champion Emma Hinze (746).
Draisaitl was even the best among the best ice hockey players in the world. In the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers striker overshadowed the superstars with 43 goals and 67 assists and was named MVP. The personal award is “a huge thing” in the USA, said the Cologne native: “It’s a great honor for me.”
The award he received as the first ice hockey player in his home country as the best individual athlete of the year crowns a successful year in sports for him. The successor to decathlon world champion Niklas Kaul won the election with 1768 points ahead of javelin thrower Johannes Vetter (649) and three-time Ironman world champion Jan Frodeno (517).
Triple Bayern for the fourth time
The CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, sports director Hasan Salihamidžić and central defender Niklas Süle accepted the congratulations for a perfect football year on behalf of FC Bayern. “This title counts a lot, not many football teams win,” said Rummenigge. Before the French Open winners Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies (1126 points) and the bobsleigh team around Francesco Friedrich (839), the Munich team (1763) won Voted Team of the Year for the fourth time after 1967, 2001 and 2013 and succeeded the ski jumping men.
Team Germany recognized as a “role model in sport”
The athletes of the Germany team and the Germany Paralympics team have been awarded the “Sparkasse Prize for Role Models in Sport”. Disabled cyclist Denise Schindler and athletes spokesman Max Hartung accepted the award in Baden-Baden. The reason for the award of the prize, which is associated with 40,000 euros, is that many athletes were socially committed in the corona crisis. The sum should go to clubs with inclusive projects, said Hartung.
