11. 11. 09. - 12:00
Jukic wins third Sportswoman of the Year award
By Thomas Hochwarter
Star
swimmer Mirna Jukic has been named Austrian Sportswoman of the Year in
a ceremony in Vösendorf near Vienna last night (Weds).
Serbian-born Jukic – who took Austrian citizenship in 2000 – had already taken the award in 2002 and 2008.
Last
year, the 23-year-old won bronze at the Olympics, broke two European
records and won three medals at the European Championships. She won
silver at the World Championships and smashed a further two European
records this year.
Only one female Austrian athlete – Annemarie
Moser-Pröll, the best female skier of all time with seven awards – has
been honoured more often. Former skier Petra Kronberger has also won
the award three times.
Skier Kathrin Zettel came second ahead of mountain biker Elisabeth Osl.
Ski-jumper
Wolfgang Loitzl was named Austria’s Sportsman of the Year. The
29-year-old had to wait for a long time before making his breakthrough.
He won last season’s prestigious Four Hills Tournament.
Loitzl prevailed over ski-jumping team colleague Gregor Schlierenzauer and skier Manfred Pranger.
The Austrian ski-jumping team was named Best Team in 2009, ahead of the country’s biathlon team and football club Rapid Vienna.
