SURVEY. Elect your French and international sportsmen and women of the year 2023

At the end of 2023, franceinfo: sport invites you to choose your international and French athletes who have had the most impact on you.

The year 2023 is coming to an end, it’s time to look back. Which athletes had the most impact on the year 2023? From Sunday December 24 to Saturday December 30, franceinfo: sport invites you to participate in the election of the international sportswoman and the international sportsman of the year, but also the sportsman and the tricolor sportswoman of 2023. For each of the four categories, only one vote among the six proposals. Up to you.

International Sportswoman of the Year

Author of a remarkable and successful comeback (5 medals, including 4 gold) at the Gymnastics Worlds, Simone Biles gets the ball rolling. Her compatriot, the American Mikaela Shiffrin, also reigns supreme over her discipline: record holder (men and women combined) for victories in the Alpine Ski World Cup (91 successes), winner of a fifth large crystal globe and crowned with world gold in the giant slalom. Undisputed Golden Ball, Aitana Bonmati won the World Cup with the Spanish selection and the Champions League with Barça.

She is also at the top of the world: Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering won her first Tour de France, was crowned vice-world champion on the road and received the Vélo d’or, to top it all off. The brilliant Sha’Carri Richardson did not go unnoticed at the World Athletics Championships by winning her first world titles, at the age of 23: in the 100 meters and the 4×100 m relay, added to a bronze medal in the 200 m. World number 1 tennis player Iga Swiatek closes this category in style with her second consecutive victory at Roland-Garros, without forgetting the Masters, and in total, six titles and three finals contested in 2023.

International Sportsman of the Year

The unbeatable Novak Djokovic, who won three Grand Slams this year and became the sole record holder for Major victories with a total of 24 (tied with Margaret Court). For his part, Léon Marchand has produced one of the most beautiful French epics of the year. The swimmer was a triple gold medalist at the Swimming Worlds and set a world record in the 400m medley, the last record of the legend Michael Phelps which had still stood for 15 years. Winner of the Vélo d’or, of his second consecutive Tour de France, author of astonishing performances in all the races he has competed in, Jonas Vingegaard can also claim the title of sportsman of the year.

No one could overtake him. Max Verstappen has established himself as the king of Formula 1, the three-time reigning world champion winning 19 of the 22 Grands Prix of the season. Another major performance: the 100-200m double at the World Athletics Championships, achieved by Noah Lyles. No one had done it since Usain Bolt. Finally, the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or has his place in this selection: Erling Haaland led Manchester City for their first treble, winning the Cup and Premiere League titles and actively participating in the English club’s first victory in the Champions League. .

French Sportswoman of the Year

The French sports cars shone this year. Perrine Laffont once again distinguished herself in mogul skiing by winning her fifth big crystal globe and two gold medals at the world championships. Powder snow also propelled Julia Simon to the firmament: the French biathlete scored her first big globe in the World Cup. This has not happened to a Tricolor since 2005. Tireless, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made 2023 a year in her own right in mountain biking, winning her 14th and 15th world titles in cross country and cross country short track.

World handball champion with Les Bleues in December, Pauletta Foppa, has established herself as a true architect of the French game at the age of 22 and has scored 17 goals out of 20 attempts. Back after her first child and an injury, Clarisse Agbégnénou was crowned world judo champion, for the sixth time in her career. Finally, a feat for French golf: Céline Boutier won her first Major, the Evian Championship. Third in the world, she is the leader in French golf.

French Sportsman of the Year

Already named among the best international athletes, Léon Marchand is obviously present in this category after his three crowns at the Swimming World Championships. Another essential athlete, Kylian Mbappé who, the year he turned 25, finished on the podium for the Ballon d’Or, after winning Ligue 1 and becoming the top scorer in the history of PSG (233) and the Coupe de France (29). His eldest, Antoine Griezmann, also distinguished himself in the blue jersey, and also by becoming the joint holder of the goals record (173) with Atlético de Madrid.

He could have been among the international nominees as the enthusiasm around him continues to grow: Victor Wembanyama. French basketball prodigy, vice-champion of France in 2023 and best player in the Betclic Elite, he made his debut in the biggest basketball league in the world, regaining the status, unprecedented for a French player, of n°1 in the NBA draft. Teddy Riner, for his part, established himself a little more in the legend by notably seeking an eleventh world title. Despite being eliminated in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup, Antoine Dupont has entered another dimension. He was also very active in the Toulouse coronation in the Top 14.