Schmidhofer ends the season prematurely

signs a Japanese defender. Stefanie Vögele and Henri Laaksonen retire in Melbourne. And Robert Lewandowski is world footballer again. The most important sports reports at a glance.

Alpine skiing: premature end of the season for Nicole Schmidhofer

Wants to attack again in the coming season: the Austrian Nicole Schmidhofer.

Sergei Belsky / Reuters

(sda/apa) Austrian Nicole Schmidhofer ended her comeback season prematurely. After a serious fall 13 months ago on the downhill in Val d’Isère, the 2017 Super-G World Champion only returned to the World Cup at the beginning of December due to a complicated knee injury. Since then she has completed five speed races, but finished 15th in the Lake Louise Super-G but only once did she make it into the points.

“I’m physically where I have to say, there are my limits. I have to admit to myself that I’m tired and can’t drive in such a way that I get really good results,” said Schmidhofer at an online media event. In the coming season she wants to attack again.


Soccer: With Paco Gento, the champion cup record winner died

Won the championship cup six times with Real Madrid: Paco Gento.

Won the championship cup six times with Real Madrid: Paco Gento.

imago

(sda/afp) Spain and Real Madrid mourn the loss of one of their icons. Former winger Francisco “Paco” Gento died at the age of 88.

Gento made history with Real Madrid during his playing days between 1953 and 1971. He won the championship cup six times with the “Royal” and for a time alongside other greats such as Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano.

With six titles, Gento is still the most successful player in the most important European Cup. He won the Spanish championship twelve times. In total, he won 23 trophies with Real Madrid – a club record that the Brazilian Marcelo achieved only this year in second place.

Gento made 43 appearances for the Spanish national team as a nimble and fast winger and has won two World Cups. He is considered one of the greatest Spanish players of all time.


Soccer: Central defender Seko joins the Grasshoppers

(sda) Grasshoppers have signed Japanese centre-back Ayumu Seko. The 21-year-old former youth international, who has also been called up for the senior national team, most recently played in his home country for Cerezo Osaka.

Seko is Zurich’s third reinforcement this winter after Chinese full-back Li Lei and French goalie Lévi Ntumba.


Tennis: No exploit by Vögele and Laaksonen

(sda) As expected, the Swiss Henri Laaksonen (ATP 91) has no chance against the top favorite Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open and loses 1: 6, 4: 6, 6: 7 (3: 7). Laaksonen didn’t come close to creating a sensation, but improved tremendously as the game progressed. The Finnish-Swiss dual citizen started with a break, but then needed until the second set to get his own serve through for the first time.

Stefanie Vögele didn’t manage to exploit either: The qualifier lost in the first round against the number 25 seeded Russian Daria Kassatkina 3:6, 1:6. In strong winds, Vögele reported huge problems, especially when serving. Overall, the 31-year-old from Aargau only won 40 percent of the points in her own service and only two out of eight games.

The only win this Tuesday could be expected from Viktorija Golubic Down Under. However, the number 40 in the world was clearly defeated by the Chinese Zhang Shuai, who was 34 positions worse, 3: 6, 4: 6.


Football: Robert Lewandowski is World Footballer of the Year for the second time in a row

For the second time in a row, Lewandowski is voted World Player of the Year.

For the second time in a row, Lewandowski is voted World Player of the Year.

Straubmeier / imago-images

(dpa) Robert Lewandowski was named FIFA World Player of the Year for the second year in a row on Monday (January 17). The FC Bayern Munich striker from Poland beat the six-time winner Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah in the voting of selected players, national coaches, journalists and fans.

The German Thomas Tuchel was honored as world coach. The 48-year-old coaches Chelsea. Tuchel succeeds Jürgen Klopp, who received the award for his successes with Liverpool in 2020 and 2019. The Spaniard Alexia Putellas from FC Barcelona was honored as the best player in the world. Putellas had already been voted Europe’s best player. Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy received the FIFA World Goalkeeper of the Year award.

In the FIFA world team, Lewandowski represents the Bundesliga together with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. The duo, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, form the attacking squad chosen by nearly 19,000 professionals, according to Fifpro players’ union.

The players and medical staff of the Danish national team were honored when the fair play award was presented. Their star player Christian Eriksen collapsed on June 12, 2021 during the European Championship group match between Denmark and Finland in Copenhagen and had to be revived. Meanwhile, the visibly shocked Denmark internationals formed a protective circle around their team-mate. The FIFA Fan Award went to the Danish and Finnish fans.


Athletics: Sarah Atcho suffers from pericarditis

(sda) Sarah Atcho has to take another forced break. The Vaudois sprinter shared on Instagram that she suffers from pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane that covers the heart.

Atcho, 26, explained that on December 27, five days after receiving the third dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, she began to experience chest pains. When symptoms persisted, she saw a cardiologist who diagnosed pericarditis. In order for the inflammation to go down, Atcho has to avoid excessive exertion in the next few weeks.

This is another major blow for the Romande, who wants to get back to their best level after two seasons marred by injuries and a depression.


Soccer: International match year 2022 begins for Switzerland with an England test

Murat Yakin and Switzerland meet Kosovo for the first time this year.

Murat Yakin and Switzerland meet Kosovo for the first time this year.

Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters

(sda) The Swiss national team will play the first international match of the 2022 calendar year on March 26 at Wembley in London against the European Championship finalists England. Three days later, Murat Yakin’s team tested against Kosovo in Zurich’s Letzigrund. The duel against the youngest Fifa member (since May 2016) will be the first in the history of the Swiss Football Association.

The national team is preparing for the first two international matches of this year in southern Spain, more precisely in Marbella – as long as the Corona situation allows it. The group draw for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year will take place on April 1st.

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