Jena Night of Sport: You have won

At the Jena Night of Sport in the Volksbad, athletes, teams and coaches were once again honored in a festive setting for their outstanding achievements in 2024. "We have invested a lot of energy and work to put on a great event for Jena sport and I am delighted that we were able to experience a wonderful evening with many wonderful memories," said Thomas Fritsche, Deputy Chairman of the SSB and member of the Jena Night of Sport organizing committee.

Michelle Kroppen from SV GutsMuths Jena was named Sportswoman of the Year, although she was unable to accept her award in person. She had won the silver medal in the mixed archery competition at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Sportsman of the Year is Christian Töpfer from USV Jena. In orienteering, he took first place in the German Sprint Championships in 2024 and fourth place in the middle distance event.

Young athlete of the year is Aurora Klotz from LC Jena. She took second place in the 100 meter hurdles at the German U18 Championships and took part in the semi-finals of the U18 European Championships.

Young athlete of the year is Henry Röder from the Judo Club Jena. Among other things, he took second place in the German Individual Championship U18 -73 kg.

Daniel Biel and Johann Grau from Science City Jena were named Team of the Year , coming fifth at the U18 World Championships in 3x3 basketball.

Max-Otto Strobel from LC Jena was honored in the Training Manager of the Year category. As a teacher-coach at the sports high school, he achieved the first international participation of an athlete under his supervision (Aurora Klotz).

Thomas Graf from KIJ, who has headed the school and sports department since 2012 and played a key role in the renovation of the stadium, without which there would not have been a Kernberge Stadium and a new building for the Oberaue sports center, was honored for his outstanding contribution to Jena sports.

The SSB badge of honor goes to Heide Opitz from SV Carl zeiss Jena. She has worked as treasurer for 20 years and coordinates requests for taster training and popular sports events in the archery department. Another SSB Medal of Honor goes to Frank Jecke from SV Carl zeiss Jena, who has been a member since 1967. Among other things, he has organized numerous training camps.

The Badge of Honor of the State Sports Association of Thuringia goes to Max Starke from USV Jena. He is the sporting director of the floorball department and coach of the U13 / U15 teams.

Head of Sports Johannes Schleußner:

"The dedication, determination and will shown by our athletes are a great example to us all. Their successes are the result of tireless work - by the athletes themselves as well as their coaches, support staff and their numerous supporters. My special thanks go to them. They are the ones who often work in the background to ensure that our athletes can perform at their best and who are always by their side in moments of success and failure."

However, the past year was not only a successful one for Jena in terms of competitions, but also with regard to the development of the clubs, according to Schleußner.

"In 2024, our clubs welcomed over 1,000 new members, meaning that more than 27,000 people in Jena are now members of a sports club. This is by far the largest organized group of people on one topic in our city. This shows how strong the sense of community in sport is - and the commitment behind it deserves our utmost respect."

A lot is also being done outside of sporting events to further promote sport in our city. The head of the sports department referred to the infrastructural milestones such as the opening of the new stadium, the completion of the athletics facility and the arrival of the Schott children's sports school. These developments are a clear and positive signal for the future of sport in Jena. Schleußner cited the completed sports development plan for the next ten years as another important step.

"This 39-point plan stands for the further development of our sports infrastructure, offers and sports organization, which are of great importance for our sports landscape."