Skier wins anniversary Swiss of the Year award
Downhill skiing champion Didier Cuche has been named Swiss personality of 2011 by public television viewers.
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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