German winners of The World Games 2017 have received special recognition for their success with the award of the Silver Laurel Leaf from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at his residence, the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, on Friday, October 13.
Endowed in 1950 by Germany’s first President, Theodor Heuss, the Silver Laurel Leaf is the highest sports award in Germany and is bestowed upon athletes and teams of exemplary character that have won medals at global events like the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The FIG announced on their homepage that Tim Sebastian and Michail Kraft, who claimed their first senior international title when winning the Acrobatic Gymnastics Men’s Pair final at The World Games 2017, received the Silver Laurel Leaf.
Sebastian and Kraft are the first German Acrobatic gymnasts in Men’s Pairs to win The World Games title, which is the ultimate international success that can be achieved in this non-Olympic discipline. To win gold, they upset their rival contenders from Russia, Belgium and China.
Commenting on the invitation to Bellevue Palace, Sebastian said: “I was speechless. It’s a crazy thing. To receive this award just before the European Championships is an additional motivating factor for the competitions.” (Source: Dresdner SC).
By receiving the Silver Laurel Leaf, Sebastian and Kraft follow in the footsteps of famous German sport stars such as Franz Beckenbauer (football), Steffi Graf (tennis), Boris Becker (tennis), and Michael Schumacher (Formula 1).
All receivers of the Silver Laurel Leaf after The World Games 2017 can be found here.