The Carinthian snowboard Olympic champion Anna Gasser is Sportswoman of the Year 2022. After 2017 and 2018, this is the third award for the 31-year-old from Villach. Football star David Alaba was voted Sportsman of the Year by the members of the Austrian sports journalists association Sports Media Austria (SMA).
Football champions Red Bull Salzburg were honored as the team of the year at the Lotteries Sporthilfe gala in the Wiener Stadthalle. Both Gasser and the 30-year-old Viennese Alaba received the “Niki” trophy named after Niki Lauda for the third time. Alaba had already won in 2013 and 2014. With the triple, Gasser and Alaba now appear in an illustrious circle of 13 athletes who have won at least three times. Only the alpine ski superstars Annemarie Moser-Proell (seven), Marcel Hirscher (six) and Hermann Maier (four) have received more awards.
Gasser: Pure passion for snowboarding
“It is pure passion for snowboarding that drives me. I think when you can inspire others, that’s the best thing. I never dreamed of winning. There are so many great athletes. Everyone deserves it,” Gasser said happily about the award.
While Alaba won just ahead of the two Olympic ski champions Matthias Mayer and Johannes Strolz, Gasser prevailed by a large margin – more on that in Third Niki for Gasser and Alaba (sport.ORF.at).