New "Niki" winner
Olympic hero Bontus is the athlete of the year!
Valentin Bontus is Austria's Sportsman of the Year for the first time! The kitesurfing Olympian came out on top in the voting for the NIKI, organized by the sports journalists' association Sports Media Austria (SMA), ahead of ski jumper Stefan Kraft and alpine skiing ace Manuel Feller.
The Lower Austrian Bontus received a total of 1129 points for his gold-winning performance at the Summer Games before Marseille, and was ranked number 1 110 times by the media representatives. He was followed by overall World Cup winner Kraft with 891 points and 78 first places and slalom shot put winner Feller with 477 and 15. Bontus is the first sailor to win Sportsman of the Year. He joined cyclist Felix Gall 2023 on the list and was also presented with the trophy by the latter. "I'm incredibly proud to be standing here," said the 23-year-old. "I pocketed the gold medal, it brings me luck."
"When you float a little, it's indescribable!"
There's no doubt about it: 2024 is the year of kitesurfer Valentin Bontus - his victory in the Olympic Formula Kite premiere at the Summer Games in France also made the Lower Austrian a high-flyer in the athletes' poll. This is exactly where the 23-year-old, self-confessed "adrenaline junkie" is in his element. "When you float a little, it's indescribable," explained Bontus at the Olympics. His feeling and handling of the kite and foil are a red-white-red success story.
Bontus has felt at home on the water since childhood. As his father had already started kitesurfing in 1999, every vacation at the Bontus home was spent by the sea. At the age of seven or eight, when he was heavy enough, he started kitesurfing. It didn't always go smoothly; he tore the cruciate and medial ligaments in his left knee once. But that didn't change his passion.
"It's amazing that I'm making history!"
When the discipline became Olympic, nothing could stop the athlete from the Podersdorf Yacht Club. "It's amazing to be the first Austrian to take part in a new Olympic sport and make history," he said in Marseille, where the Olympic sailing competitions were held.
To realize this dream, Bontus had been in the weight room and on the water more often than ever before, bringing his 105 kg into harmony with the elements and his equipment. "You have to be physically and muscularly fit when you're on the water at 70 km/h," explained the powerhouse.
"... that I really enjoy the whole thing!"
So far, his ambition has not dampened his enjoyment of the fast-paced sport and the freedom on the water. "I think that's the advantage I have over the others, that I really enjoy the whole thing," said Bontus. This enthusiasm brought him gold on the highest stage this year after winning European and World Championship bronze - and a lot of recognition.
"He has retained this relaxed attitude from freestyle, where he comes from, and from the environment in which he grew up. But he also has this race intelligence, he has understood exactly what it takes to be successful in Olympic kiting," said Roman Hagara, double Olympic champion and head of the technology department at the OeSV. Association sports director Matthias Schmid is of the same opinion: "He learns damn fast. He has fun with it, but is still fully focused."
Despite his "flyover", Bontus returned home from France feeling grounded. "It's a gold medal and not a life-changing event. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I hope not, because my life is fine the way it is right now." Being voted "Sportsman of the Year" will do nothing to change that. Bontus is already looking ahead to the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
The top 10 for the men:
1st BONTUS Valentin (kitesurfing) 1129 votes
2. KRAFT Stefan (ski jumping) 891
3. FELLER Manuel (alpine skiing) 477
4. SCHUBERT Jakob (climbing) 360
5. AUBÖCK Felix (swimming) 303
6. SABITZER Marcel (soccer) 194
7. KARL Benjamin (snowboarding) 153
8. WEISSHAIDINGER Lukas (athletics) 140
9. PREINING Thomas (motor sports) 103
10. STRAKA Sepp (golf) 100
Constantin Möstl is "Rising Star of the Year"
The Paralympics medal winners Natalija Eder (javelin bronze) and Thomas Frühwirth (two handbike silver medals) were also honored at the gala in the disabled sports category. In the Special Olympics category, the prizes went to speed skater Veronika Kaube and alpine skiing ace Simon Berchtold.
Handball goalkeeper Constantin Möstl (handball) was voted Rising Star of the Year by sports fans and climbing coach Kilian Fischhuber was voted Coach Personality by a jury of experts. The sports moment of the year was provided by the 3x3 wheelchair basketball team and the 3x3 men's team, who won gold at the European Championships in Vienna. Nico Langmann was named Sportsman with Heart. A special NIKI went to Sports-Media-Austria Honorary President Michael Kuhn.
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