Marco Odermatt could achieve something historic at the Sports Awards on Sunday. Never before has someone been voted Swiss Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year four times in a row.
05.01.2025, 05:00
05.01.2025, 09:36
SDA
A look at the chronicles of the Swiss Sports Awards, which were held for the first time in 1950, shows that Vreni Schneider and Roger Federer have entered their names on the winners' lists the most times. The ski queen was awarded the coveted trophy five times, the tennis maestro even seven times. Unsurprisingly, the two record holders were also honored as the best sportswoman and best sportsman of the last 70 years in the coronavirus year 2020.
However, neither Federer nor Schneider received the award four times in a row. Schneider was able to win a maximum of two awards in a row between 1988 and 1995, while Federer's streak was broken by Tom Lüthi in 2005. The fact that the then 19-year-old motorcycle world champion beat the world star is still considered the biggest surprise in the history of the Sports Awards, which celebrates its 75th anniversary on Sunday.
After last year's triple, which previously only cyclist Tony Rominger (from 1992 to 1994) and gymnast Ariella Kaeslin (from 2008 to 2010) had achieved, Marco Odermatt now has the chance to win four awards in a row. With his latest triumph in the overall World Cup, the ski star logically made it back into the final six candidates.
Four chances for athletics
However, the 27-year-old from Nidwalden faces tough competition from athletes who have also caused a stir internationally in their respective sports during the voting period from the beginning of November 2023 to the end of October 2024. Noè Ponti did so as the first Swiss world record holder in the swimming pool, Simon Ehammer as one of the world's best long jumpers and Dominic Lobalu with his touching rise from orphaned refugee to Swiss European champion. The sextet is completed by show jumper Steve Guerdat and swimmer Roman Mityukov, two medal winners from the Summer Games in Paris.
The group of candidates in the women's event is similar to last year. In addition to last year's winner Lara Gut-Behrami, freestyle dominator Mathilde Gremaud and European 200m champion Mujinga Kambundji also made it into the six nominees. For the first time, the TV audience, who can express their preference via televoting, can choose from European pole vault champion Angelica Moser, Julie Derron, the Olympic silver medalist in the triathlon, and the only Swiss Olympic champion from Paris 2024, shooter Chiara Leone.
A beach duo against two national teams
The TV show hosted by Fabienne Gyr and Rainer Maria Salzgeber, which starts at 20:05 and will be broadcast on SRF 1, RTS 2 and RSI LA 2, will not only recognize the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year, but will also present awards in four other categories. The men's national football and ice hockey teams and the beach volleyball duo Tanja Hüberli/Nina Brunner, who have been nominated for the third time in a row, have made it onto the shortlist for Team of the Year.
The Paralympic Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year (Catherine Debrunner, Marcel Hug or Flurina Rigling), the Coach of the Year (Christoph Dieckmann, Patrick Fischer or Helmut Krug) and the MVP of the Year (Kevin Fiala, Lara Heini, Alina Müller, Lia Wälti, Granit Xhaka or Manuel Zehnder), whose election took place online from November 28 to December 17, will also be honored in the live broadcast.
