Downhill skiing champion Didier Cuche has been named Swiss personality of 2011 by public television viewers.
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swissinfo.ch and agencies
Cuche won just under 22 per cent of the vote by people across the country on Saturday.
The competition was launched in 2002 and the winners get their names engraved on a rock on an alpine meadow in central Switzerland.
The 37-year-old was the runner-up in last year’s World Cup competition – making him the most successful alpine Swiss skier.
Prizes were also awarded in the television show in Zurich for special categories, including business, culture, entertainment, politics and society.
Among previous winners are Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, aid workers in Haiti, a heart surgeon, tennis star Roger Federer and a former football coach.
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Aid workers in Haiti win “Swiss Award 2010”
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Marianne Kaufmann, a 27-year-old nurse, and 67-year-old Rolf Maibach, who have both been active in a hospital north of Port-au-Prince for several years, won 19 per cent of the vote. The humanitarian workers succeed a heart surgeon and a government minister who won the competition in the two previous years. Prizes were also awarded for…
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Widmer-Schlumpf, a clear winner with almost 70 per cent of the votes, said she wouldn’t have thought holding the prize, which she said was “for everyone”, would have been possible a year ago. 2008 was indeed a rollercoaster year for Widmer-Schlumpf. In December 2007 she suddenly found herself a cabinet minister after receiving more votes…
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Abderhalden, aged 28, took 20.38 per cent of the telephone votes, ahead of the director of the new James Bond film, Marc Forster, and Ernesto Bertarelli, head of the yachting team Alinghi, which successfully defended the America’s Cup in 2007. “Alpine wrestling is popular, tradition is in,” commented the victor of last year’s federal wrestling…
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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.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.