Boris Herrmann was named Sportsman of the Year at this year's Hamburg Sports Gala on Monday evening at the Chamber of Commerce. The Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Hamburg Sports Association and the Hamburger Abendblatt award outstanding achievements in five categories.
Boris Herrmann received the Sportsman of the Year award for his performance in the Vendée Globe 2020, the toughest regatta across the world's oceans. He was the first German participant ever to finish 5th after 80 days and 24,000 nautical miles. His sporting success goes hand in hand with his commitment to climate protection, as he also sailed in the service of science. The German skipper is leading the campaign "A Race We Must Win" with his team Malizia. With his new racing yacht and in the upcoming regattas, such as the Ocean Race 2023 and the Vendée Globe 2024, he will continue to collect valuable CO2 ocean data with his mini-lab on board and transmit it to marine researchers on land.
The laudation was held by Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif, President of the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg. Boris Herrmann who is currently in France for the construction of his new IMOCA racing yacht was connected via live video feed from Brittany, so that Team Malizia Director Holly Cova accepted the award on behalf of Boris.