Updated
OmnisportsOdermatt, Kambundji, the Nati and Josi honored at the Sports Awards
The Nidwalden skier and the Bernese athlete were the big winners of the gala organized this Sunday evening in Zurich, rewarding the best Swiss athletes of the year 2022.
The men’s football selection, best team.
Imago
And if it was the beginning of a hegemony? As in 2021, Marco Odermatt was voted Swiss sportsman of the year 2022 at the Swiss Sports Awards gala, organized in Zurich. Obviously, as the 25-year-old Nidwalden has splashed his talent during the alpine ski season. The first Helvetian to win the big crystal globe since Carlo Janka in 2010, he has won seven victories and finished on the podium sixteen times. He also won gold in giant slalom at the Beijing Olympics.
Odermatt won the prize ahead of Simon Ehammer (silver medalist in the decathlon at the European Championships and author of numerous Swiss records), Beat Feuz (gold medalist in downhill at the Olympic Games), Noè Ponti (silver medalist in the 100 m butterfly at the European Championships), Nino Schurter (world cross-country champion and World Cup winner) and Joel Wicki (wrestling king).
Among the ladies, it was Mujinga Kambundji who left with the honors. Already a winner in 2019, the 30-year-old Bernese is rewarded for her victory in the 200m at the European Championships and in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships. She also won European silver in the 100m and set two new Swiss records in the 100m (10.89) and 200m (22.18).
Behind her are Marlen Reusser (bronze medalist in the time trial at the World Championships and European champion in the time trial), Mathilde Gremaud (gold medalist in slopestyle and bronze in big air at the Beijing, silver medalist at the X-Games in slopestyle) and Olympic medal-winning skiers: Lara Gut-Behrami (gold in super-G and bronze in giant slalom), Michelle Gisin (gold in combined and bronze in super-G ) and Corinne Suter (downhill gold).
The prize for the best team went to the Swiss football team for its qualification for the World Cup. The timing makes you smile, a few days following the humiliating elimination once morest Portugal in the round of 16 (1-6)… The Nati was in competition with the beach volleyball players Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli, silver medalists at the Championships Europe, as well as the mixed mountain bike relay crowned world champion.
Selected for the fourth time in his career in the NHL All-Star Game, Nashville captain Roman Josi won – as in 2019 – the title of MVP (crowned the most decisive athlete) ahead of Granit Xhaka (football), Kerstin Kündig (handball), Alina Müller (hockey), Noel Ott (beach soccer) and Lia Wälti (football).
Urs Fischer was acclaimed as the best coach. The Zurich technician presents particularly brilliant results at the head of Union Berlin, current 5th in the Bundesliga and qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League. Mentors of Simon Ehammer and Nino Schurter, René Wyler and Nicolas Siegenthaler were the other nominees.
The prize for best talent was awarded to Zurich cross-country skier Anja Weber (21), crowned M23 world champion in Lygna (Norway) in February, ahead of Friborg Audrey Werro (vice-world M20 champion in the 800m) and Jan Christen (vice-world junior mountain bike champion).
Finally, Marcel Hug received the prize for the best Paralympic athlete for the seventh time, following winning the marathons in Tokyo, Berlin, London, Chicago and New York. A performance that allowed him to finish first in the general classification of the World Marathon Major Series, bringing together the six largest urban marathons. He is ahead of Catherine Debrunner (winner of the Berlin and London marathons) and Manuela Schär (winner of the Boston marathon).
Present at the ceremony, Roger Federer was awarded the honorary prize, three months following announcing the end of his prestigious career.
(BCH)
