High honor for Sara Schmied and Jonas Frei at the Graubünden Sports Night
High honor for two SMBC members: At the Graubünden Sports Night at the beginning of June, skeleton pilot Sara Schmied was named Junior Athlete of the Year, while Jonas Frei was delighted to receive the title of Disabled Athlete of the Year.
Sara Schmied came directly from Magglingen to Chur for the award ceremony. The 20-year-old's military uniform revealed that she is currently attending elite sports recruit school. The long train journey was definitely worth it, though. "The nomination alone was a wonderful thing for me. To actually win the title was quite a surprise," the SMBC skeleton athlete summarized the successful evening, organized by the Graubünden Sports Association. Her season results confirm that she deserved the title. The Engadine native secured the gold medal at the U20 Junior World Championships in February on her home track in St. Moritz.
In addition, she was delighted to win a silver medal in the U23 category. And she already has further ambitious goals in her sights: Besides a top-five world ranking, she is aiming for a podium finish at the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.
Frei named Disabled Athlete of the Year
Para-bob athlete Jonas Frei was also overjoyed at the Graubünden Sports Night. The 26-year-old SMBC member won the title of Disabled Athlete of the Year. His achievements also impressed the audience jury. Frei is the overall World Cup winner as well as a two-time European and World Champion in para-bob. René Zwicky also shared in the celebration. The SMBC official has been coaching para-bob athletes for years with great success. The laudatory speech was given by Olympic champion and SMBC board member Beat Hefti.