World Cup downhill and super-G champion Didier Cuche and European champion figure skater Sarah Meier have been named the Swiss sports personalities of 2011.
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It’s the second time Cuche has won the Credit Suisse-sponsored televised award. Cross-country skier Dario Cologna and Roger Federer, who ended the year third in the ATP men’s world tennis rankings, took second and third place.
Cuche, who at 37 has 18 World Cup wins under his belt has put off retirement to ski one more season.
Meier, who has now retired from competitive skating, was widely expected to win from among the women nominees. Earlier this year she took gold at the European Championships in Bern – only the second female Swiss winner in 30 years to do so. The 27-year-old had been suffering from a long-running foot injury and had not had high hopes of winning the tournament.
The under-21s Swiss football team was named team of the year after becoming finalists in the Euro tournament against Spain and qualifying for the Olympic Games in London. Trainer of the year went to Arno del Curto for the Davos hockey club who picked up their fifth title in ten years.
Gymnast Giulia Steingruber was named newcomer of the year. The 17-year-old reached fifth place in the world championships in Tokyo. Marcel Hug, world champion in the 10,000 metres in Christchurch and winner of the Berlin marathon was named disabled sportsman of 2011.
Winners are nominated by journalists and fellow sportsmen and women and voted on by the public.
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Figure skater Meier becomes European champion
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Skating her farewell performance before retiring, the 26-year-old Swiss claimed her first major title with an error-free performance after her rivals fell out of contention. Meier scored a total of 170.60 points, edging defending champion Carolina Kostner of Italy by just over two points. Kiira Korpi of Finland took bronze at 166.40. “It was so…
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Cuche, the reigning world downhill champion, beat out the likes of tennis star Roger Federer and cycling time trial specialist Fabien Cancellara. Kaeslin, an artistic gymnast, is the 2009 European champion on the vault and world silver medallist. She came ahead of skier Lara Gut and Simone Niggli-Luder, a Bernese orienteering athlete. Cross country skier…
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Defending downhill and super-G champion Didier Cuche finished in 1:47.28 at the race in Lake Louise, in western Canada. Beat Feuz was second in 1:47.34, and Austria’s Hannes Reichelt was third in 1:47.36. Cuche, who is now 37, also won at Lake Louise in 2009. After Saturday’s race he said it was surprising to take…
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Cuche has thrilled fans since he first came to international prominence as a silver medal winner at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Excelling in downhill, super G and giant slalom, Cuche had his fair share of injuries over the years. He ends this season with a string of fresh victories to his credit.
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