Lara Vadlau and Lukas Mähr, who were decorated with gold, as well as Valentin Bontus also received the medal prize of 20,000 euros in the form of Philharmonic gold coins. The games in Paris have shown that in sport “with one another and against one another are not automatically opposites,” said Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.
A red-white-red sextet won medals in the French capital. In addition to the victorious 470 sailors Vadlau/Mähr and kitesurfer Bontus, Michaela Polleres won judo bronze, and the climbing duo Jakob Schubert and Jessica Pilz also won this color. For the ÖOC, these were the sixth most successful summer games in history. “That is an excellent result,” said ÖOC President Karl Stoss in the ceremonial hall of the Hofburg, adding that there could have been even more medals. But some of them were “lacking that little bit of luck and fortune.”
“Achieved something incredible”
Even those who came away empty-handed “have achieved incredible things; their sporting determination makes them role models for everyone living in Austria,” said Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). For him, volunteer work and club support are important building blocks for promoting sport, as all top athletes started out in clubs. “We are already well on the way to developing the support further,” he said. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner expressed pride “for the army athletes.”
Sports Minister Werner Kogler (Greens) also stressed that the country is well positioned in terms of promoting sport. “There is a lot of investment involved and little chance,” he said. However, they will analyse “which associations are doing particularly well.” Sailing has been working professionally for a “very long time,” explained Vadlau. “We have been able to prepare ourselves well.”
From the awards to the holidays
On Wednesday, the series of appointments and awards for the athletes will be over for the time being, and some of them will be going on holiday straight away. “I’m planning to go to Germany to see my girlfriend today because it’s her birthday tomorrow,” said Olympic champion Bontus in an interview with APA. “On Thursday, I’ll be flying to the Lofoten Islands with her on holiday. I’ll make sure we really unwind and switch off a bit.”
Judoka Polleres has already visited the Disneyland theme park near Paris. “It’s really magical,” said the Lower Austrian. Pilz will probably go to Lake Garda, which is not too far from her home in Innsbruck. “I don’t want to fly because we travel a lot all year round,” she said.
“I didn’t realize how big it got”
Bontus said he was still overwhelmed by the response to his success before Marseille. “I’ve already gone through WhatsApp, but I haven’t had a chance to get through Instagram and Facebook yet. It’s crazy to see how many people are celebrating with me and keeping their fingers crossed. I didn’t really realise how big a deal this was,” revealed Bontus.
Climber Schubert, who won bronze in Tokyo three years ago, was full of pride. But “unfortunately, you can’t do magic with a medal. Sorry, Valentin,” said the Tyrolean to Bontus. He doesn’t yet know whether he will be back in Los Angeles in four years and go for gold. “That also depends on how the sport develops,” he said.
