A photo from last year's Sports Gala: Host Ivo Zorzi with biathlete Hannah Auchentaller and snowboarder Jasmin Coratti. © DLife

Athlete election: These are the finalists

The decision has been made: 120.737 votes have decided who finished among the top 37 men and women in the 6th edition of the South Tyrolean Sports Awards.

March 28, 2025

From: dolo

One thing in advance: There were few surprises, and the athletes with the most outstanding performances from our country are also at the top of the "Dolomites" athlete poll. In short: It's time to celebrate – on Friday April 11th at the Sporthilfe Gala in Merano.

The winners of the prestigious title of Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year will be revealed at the Sporthilfe Gala, benefiting South Tyrol's Sporthilfe, on Friday, April 11, in the traditional festive setting of the Merano Kurhaus. Until then, you can eagerly guess who landed in which ranking. Those who made it into the top 6 women and men are listed in the two photo galleries.

The top 6 women

What is striking is that among the women, two of the top 3 in last year's election - Evelin Lanthaler won ahead of Dorothea Wierer and volleyball player Raphaela Folie - are back in the competition: Lanthaler and Wierer.

Biathlete Hannah Auchentaller was already among the top 6 last year, and for Nicol Delago, this marks a return after 2022. A rising star, footballer Eva Schatzer, has made it into the top 6 for the first time. The Vahrn native pulls the strings in midfield for Juve Women and now also for the national team. Laura Runggatscher, South Tyrol's exceptional bowler, is also part of the team.

The top 6 men

As always, the top six men's team is top-class. Defending champion Jannik Sinner is among them, as is "perennial favorite" Dominik Paris, and his downhill teammate Florian Schieder is back after last year. The other three newcomers are Gabriel Messner, the snowboard rising star of the season, handball superstar Leo Prantner, and ice hockey goalie Damian Clara, who immediately made it into the top 3 in his first nomination.

The three most popular teams of the year will also be honored. Two of the three teams are women, impressively underscoring South Tyrol's female power in sports. The artificial track luge duo Vötter/Oberhofer also participated last year.

9 sports figureheads will be honored

A highlight of the Sporthilfe Gala is the farewell to nine exceptional South Tyrolean athletes who have ended their extraordinary careers in the past year or recently.
Laura Letrari (To swim)
Hannes Kiem (Football)
Martin Sonnerer (Handball)
Riccardo Tonetti (Alpine skiing)
Federico Sanfilippo (Biathlon and cross-country skiing)
Greta Pinggera
Evelin Lanthaler
Florian Clara and
Patrick Pigneter (all natural track luge)

This part of the program alone is a must for all South Tyrolean sports enthusiasts: to be there at the Sporthilfe Gala in order to get selfies and autographs with these South Tyrolean sports legends.

As always, ball attendees can park their cars in the spa parking lot. An unforgettable evening awaits them, lasting well into the night. This is also because the Ossi Pircher Prize will be awarded to two outstanding South Tyrolean youth athletes. Tickets and further information for the Sporthilfe Gala are available exclusively from the South Tyrolean Sporthilfe. online.