Instead of the grand sports gala with numerous awards and many guests at the Casineum Velden, the awards had to be presented in several stages this year due to the coronavirus. On Monday, March 7, in the Spiegelsaal of the Carinthian provincial government, deserving athletes and honorary officials were honored for their achievements in an “awards marathon” by sports officer Governor Peter Kaiser and provincial sports director Arno Arthofer.
Soldiers from the Faak am See Army Performance Sports Center and a non-commissioned officer from the Carinthian Military Command were among the recipients. Provincial councillors Daniel Fellner and Sebastian Schuschnig as well as Marijan Velik from the Carinthian Sports Press Club and Carinthia’s military commander Brigadier Walter Gitschthaler were the first to congratulate the winners. Platoon leader Magdalena Lobnig was voted “Carinthian Sportswoman of the Year 2021” by the 58 members of the Carinthian Sports Press Club, represented by Marijan Velik. Lobnig won the bronze medal in the rowing single sculls at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, securing the first Olympic medal at a Summer Games since Steffi Graf (silver in Sydney 2000). But the army athlete, who was born in St. Veit an der Glan, already became European champion in 2016. She won bronze at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. The 31-year-old from VST Völkermarkt also has three other European Championship silver medals to her name.
“As a visible sign of the state for the outstanding achievements of young Carinthian athletes, the ‘Sport Performance Medals’ have recently been awarded to highlight the great performances at all levels, at the World Championships, European Championships, Olympics, State Championships and many more,” explained Governor Peter Kaiser. Canoeist Corporal Mario Leitner was awarded the “Sports Performance Medal in Silver” for his outstanding achievements. The army athlete’s successes include U23 World Champion (2015), U23 Vice World Champion and U23 European Champion in 2017 as well as U23 World Championship bronze medal (2019). At the 2021 Whitewater Canoe World Championships in Bratislava, Mario won the bronze medal in the Extreme Slalom. In this discipline, four boats paddle against each other after starting from a ramp. This discipline will appear on the program for the first time at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Deputy Officer Gernot Dreier was awarded the “Sports Merit Badge in Gold” by Carinthian Governor Peter Kaiser and Regional Sports Director Arno Arthofer for his more than 30 years of voluntary commitment to tennis in Carinthia. Dreier began organizing the first children’s and youth tournaments in Carinthia in the early 1990s. Since 1991, he has organized countless tennis tournaments in Carinthia, including ATP, Davis Cup and Fed Cup tournaments, many of them with Ronnie Leitgeb, with whom he also had a great friendship. During the laudation, held by the governor, a video was shown by ORF Carinthia, which illustrated the importance of Gernot Dreier for Carinthian tennis. Carinthia’s military commander, Brigadier Walter Gitschthaler, was one of the first to congratulate and was proud of the non-commissioned officer.
