After gold in Paris
Rower Zeidler is Germany’s athlete of the year
December 15, 2024 – 8:30 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Every year Germany’s athlete of the year is chosen. This year the title goes to an Olympic champion.
Oliver Zeidler is Germany’s Athlete of the Year 2024. The single rower and Olympic champion in Paris won the 78th sports journalists’ election in Baden-Baden and prevailed in a very close race against Olympic swimming champion Lukas Märtens.
With 1,694 points, Zeidler was only 47 points ahead of Märtens (1,647), who impressed with his victory in the 400 meter freestyle in Paris. German triathlete and Ironman champion Patrick Lange came in third, collecting 1,439 points.
Decathlete Leo Neugebauer, who won the silver medal in Paris, also achieved a four-digit result and took fourth place with 1043 points. Fifth place went to eventing rider Michael Jung (941).
The top ten was completed by table tennis icon Timo Boll (938), para-athlete Markus Rehm (536), extreme athlete Jonas Deichmann (503), ski ace Linus Straßer (404) and para-swimmer Josia Topf (373).
The award in the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden is considered one of the most prestigious honors in German sport. Zeidler was visibly moved after the election: “This title is a great honor, especially in a year with so many strong German athletes.”
The choice highlights the diversity in top German sport, from traditional disciplines such as rowing and swimming to exceptional sports such as triathlon and extreme sports.