The German national basketball team, Franziska Preuß, and Leo Neugebauer are the athletes of the year. The awards were presented in Baden-Baden. After getting to know the best sports, you know who to follow on the Aviator Demo.
Franziska Preuß, Leo Neugebauer, and the German basketball team won the 2025 Sports Personality of the Year awards. The biathlete, the decathlete, and the team led by captain Dennis Schröder, who was not present, received the awards at the traditional gala in the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden.
Neugebauer finished the final 1,500-meter race at the World Athletics Championships with a 20-point lead over Puerto Rican Ayden Owens-Delerme, crowning himself king of the athletes.
In the vote among German sports journalists, he won by an impressive margin ahead of swimmer Florian Wellbrock and professional cyclist Florian Lipowitz. He succeeds Oliver Zeidler, who was voted Sportsman of the Year in 2024.
Preuß wins ahead of Varfolomeev and Elendt
Franziska Preuß succeeds Darja Varfolomeev. The gymnast was close to becoming Sportswoman of the Year, as she was last year, but was narrowly defeated in the vote. Third place went to swimmer Anna Elendt.
Biathlete Preuß deserved the award no less than Varfolomeev did last year: at the World Championships in Lenzerheide, she won bronze in the mixed relay and single mixed relay, silver in the sprint, and gold in the pursuit race. To cap off an outstanding season, she also secured victory in the overall World Cup.
Basketball players best team
In the Team of the Year vote, there was no way around the basketball players. With inspiring performances in exciting games, they crowned themselves European champions in September – and that as reigning world champions. In the vote among German sports journalists, they won by a landslide, replacing the 3×3 basketball players, who had been named Team of the Year in 2024.
The German European basketball champions won with 2,638 votes, ahead of the men’s national hockey team (1,367) and the women’s 4×100-meter relay team (1,051).
Behind Dennis Schröder, Moritz Wagner, and Co., other successful teams came up short this year: the men’s hockey team finished second, and the women’s 4×100-meter relay team took third place.
The German women’s handball team was not eligible for the vote – the World Cup simply took place too late in the year. It will be interesting to see whether the silver medalists will make it onto the podium in 2026.
Moving tribute to Laura Dahlmeier
A moving moment at the gala was the tribute to former biathlon idol Laura Dahlmeier, who died in a mountain climbing accident this year. The audience listened emotionally to a song by musician Gregor Meyle in honor of Dahlmeier, who was named Sportswoman of the Year in 2017.
The “Special Olympics Athlete of the Year” award for people with intellectual disabilities was presented for the first time. Short track athlete Sophia Dziadek won the inaugural award and said, “It means a lot to me that my achievements are being recognized.” Laudator Felix Neureuther explained with admiration, “She shows what is possible in sport when people are given opportunities and can demonstrate their strengths.”
Sportswoman of the Year: Biathlete Franziska PreußThe race for Sportswoman of the Year was a close one: Franziska Preuß (1,749 votes) won the award by a margin of just 48 votes. Last year’s winner and gymnast Darja Varfolomeev (1,701 votes) came in second. Swimmer Anna Elendt (880 votes) came in third.
Preuß became world champion in the individual event for the first time in her career at the Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide. After a flawless shooting performance, she won the pursuit race by a clear margin. In addition, the 31-year-old secured victory in the overall World Cup thanks to her strong performance in 2024/2025.
