Ullrich named German Sportsman of the Year
( 2003-12-22 10:12) (Reuters)
Jan Ullrich, who staged a
remarkable comeback with his performance in this year's Tour de France, was
named German Sportsman of the Year on Sunday.
The 30-year-old rider, who won the Tour in 1997, bounced back from a
frustrating spell featuring a career-threatening knee injury and a doping ban to
finish a close second to American Lance Armstrong in the 2003 race.
Ullrich, who was also crowned in 1997 when he became the only German to have
captured the world's greatest cycle race, won the traditional vote by around
3,000 sports journalists, recording a clear victory over Michael Schumacher.
The former Tour winner collected 3,388 points. Schumacher, who won a record
sixth Formula One title this year, was second on 2,862 with Nordic combined
World Cup champion Ronny Ackermann third on 1,897.
Last year's winner was ski jumper Sven Hannawald.
Hannah Stockbauer, who collected three gold medals from the world swimming
championships in July in Barcelona, won the women's vote. The team award when to
Germany's World Cup-winning women's soccer team.
The awards were given during a ceremony attended by selected guests in the
German city of Baden-Baden and watched by millions on television.
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