Linda Dallmann easily took the steps up to the podium despite her crutches. Together with teammate Giulia Gwinn, Bayern’s German international was one of the first sportswomen and sportsmen to be recognised for their achievements in 2022 by the City of Munich at the Old Town Hall on Thursday evening. Always persevering, always being among the best – the injured attacker vividly embodies this FCB mantra, and the past year for the German record champions overall is something to shout about. No fewer than six representatives of the Reds were honoured, in the presence of president Herbert Hainer and mayoress Verena Dietl. Along with the two women’s footballers, Thomas Müller and basketball internationals Andreas Obst and Niels Giffey accepted medals on behalf of their teams, while Tom Schweiger was also recognised for gold, silver and bronze at the German table tennis championships.
Bayern don't just shine in football, said Hainer. "You've seen again today how successful FC Bayern are, in whatever sport we compete." The president also praised all the sportsmen and women who were recognised on the night. "I've always been a sports fan through and through, watched Olympics from A to Z and find all these achievements magnificent. Sport unites people, and everyone in it makes a valuable contribution to society.” Müller, who took lots of time for photos and autographs, also paid tribute to the other athletes. "There's no question that the performance of everyone here, regardless of sport, is outstanding." As for which sport would appeal to him personally, with a wink and to the amusement of the packed-out hall Müller said he would try out hammer-throw in the right circumstances.
The born-and-bred Bavarian explained that he followed the Women's EURO closely last summer. "We all witnessed the buzz that created." The tournament "sparked a lot", said Dallmann. The aim was "to raise women's football to another level", added Gwinn. "That succeeded, and we're now also seeing that day-to-day in the Bundesliga." After the unfortunate exit in the Women's Champions League at Arsenal in midweek, the German international commented on the home stretch of the season: "We took a huge step in the league with the impressive win against Wolfsburg and in the cup we have a home tie against Wolfsburg – it'd be ideal to finish with two trophies." After the prizes were handed out, Dallmann praised the atmosphere at the event: "I like this mix of sports. It's important to sometimes look beyond football." The pair sat opposite Obst and Giffey at dinner. "I like watching basketball and have been to the Audi Dome many times," said Gwinn. "It's nice to have a chat for once here."
Bayern are getting "a step closer to the German and European elite year after year", said Hainer. "We've got a good chance of the double this season – and I know our players have that firmly in their sights." Obst confirmed that: "We're eager for the league title and want to add to the cup win." He also has big ambitions with the naitonal team. On third place at last year's European Championship, he commented: "That medal was a dream – and only the start for us!"
For Schweiger, it was a third appearance on the podium at the Munich Sports Honours. "I'm very happy," he said on his recognition for gold in the doubles, silver in the mixed and bronze in the singles. "I'm a bit nervous, the others are more used to stages like this. But it's cool to stand up here with the likes of Thomas Müller." Schweiger travelled specially to the event straight from a tournament – and has a lot ahead of him in the coming weeks. As well as table tennis, he has his final school exams. But that's how it is at FC Bayern: challenges are there to be overcome.
Photo credits: Referat für Bildung and Sport/Tobias Has
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