Snowboarder Anna Gasser was named Austria’s “Sportswoman of the Year” at the Lotterien Sporthilfe Gala in Vienna. This is the third time Gasser has received the coveted trophy. In the “Sportsman of the Year” category, soccer star David Alaba, who triumphed in the top flight with Real Madrid this season, also received the trophy for the third time after 2013 and 2014.
Gasser’s 2021/22 season will be remembered above all for her remarkable repeat of the Olympic victory in the Big Air competition in Beijing 2022. She also stood on the podium in four of four World Cups in 2022/23, with three second-place finishes and a victory at the season finale of the Slopestyle World Cup in Silvaplana, which earned her second place in the overall FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe standings. With 21 World Cup podiums in her career, Gasser is currently fourth in the world ranking of female freestyle snowboarders. Kelly Clark (USA) (22 World Cup career podiums) and Liu Jaiyu (CHN) (23 World Cup podiums) are within striking distance for the Austrian next season.
Other trophies went to skierJohannes Strolz (Emerging Athlete of the Year), Veronika Aigner with guide Elisabeth Aigner (Paraski; Sportswoman of the Year with Disability), Johannes Aigner with guide Matteo Fleischmann (Paraski; Sportsman of the Year with Disability) and the Red Bull Salzburg soccer team (Team of the Year).
