Kerber, Lange named athletes of the year
December 17, 2018
Tennis player Angelique Kerber and triathlete Patrick Lange have been named Germany's athletes at an annual gala in Baden-Baden.
Kerber won Wimbledon this year while Lange won Hawaii's Ironman competition, the first person to do so in less than eight hours.
But Germany's record 14 Winter Olympic champions from Pyeongchang left the awards empty-handed.
Second win for Kerber
It's the second time Kerber has won the award, after a grand slam win in 2016. This year she edged out multiple track cycling world champion Kristina Vogel, who became paraplegic after a training accident in June.
"You are a role model for so many people. You have shown so much willpower," Kerber told Vogel at the ceremony on Sunday.
Two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier came in third.
Lange tops Frenzel, Abele
In the men's category, Lange beat out Nordic combined skier and two-time Pyeongchang gold medalist Eric Frenzel and European decathlon champion Arthur Abele.
The awards are decided by a vote from 1,100 sports journalists.
aw/cmk (dpa, sid)