Germany’s "Sportsman of the Year" is the weightlifter Matthias Steiner. Triple European table tennis champion Timo Boll finished second at the ceremony held in Baden-Baden.Â
Already in 2007 only one athlete was ahead of Boll, who would have been the first table tennis player in the 62 year history to be awarded this title. The Olympic team silver medallists Boll, Ovtcharov and Süss won the bronze medal in the category "Team of the Year".
Gold Medallist after a Tragedy
About 1350 journalists voted at the gala 2008, held annually since 1947. Matthias Steiner won the gold medal in Beijing and the people in Germany and elsewhere felt sympathy for the strong man crying on the podium. Steiner lost his wife in a car accident in 2007 and dedicated the gold medal to her.Â
A Better Chance for Boll in 2009
Boll and the German Men’s Team will be given another chance to convince the journalists in 2009. The European Table Tennis Championships staged in Stuttgart in September on home soil are the best occasion for promotion.Â
At the same place in 2007, gymnast Fabian Hambüchen won the horizontal bar competition and was awarded "Sportsman of the Year" a few months later.Â
However, the first big event for Boll in 2009 will be the World Championships in Yokohama. "We will fly about one week before to Japan and practise in the training centre of the Japanese," Timo Boll was quoted before the gala event. "Then we hope to be prepared for the duel with the Chinese."
Freestyle swimmer Britta Steffen was elected "Sportswoman of the Year". No German table tennis lady was among the top 20.
Source: www.ittf.com
