The title of 'Elite Sports Student of 2023' went to canoeist Hedi Moana Kliemke. Nordic combined athlete Tristan Sommerfeldt came second. 3x3 basketball player Tebbe Möller came third. After 14 editions, the DOSB and the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, honoured the best sports students. 

The best three students from the 43 elite schools in Germany are awarded the title. They will also receive a unique scholarship from the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe. The first place winner will receive a scholarship of €5,000, while the second and third place winners will each receive €3,000 each.

The winner is Hedi Moana Kliemke. At the 2023 World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, she climbed the podium twice. She won silver in the C4 500m and bronze in the C2 200m. But perhaps most importantly, she secured her place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the C2 500m. Her dual talent, both athletically and academically, won over the judges. 

Second on the podium was Tristan Sommerfeldt. He won gold and silver at the 2023 World Junior Championships, as well as an individual silver medal. He also scored points in the adult World Cup. 

Tebbe Möller, a 3x3 basketball player from EdS Hannover, completed the podium. He won gold at the World Championships as captain of the U18 team. He also won gold at the EYOF and U17 European Championships. Last spring, he took part in the Model United Nations simulation in Kiel, where around 400 national participants took on the dual roles of athletes and diplomats.

For Miriam Welte, Vice President of the DOSB, the winners and the award are examples of the task of acting as role models for young talent: "With our three award-winning students, the other 40 nominees and the long-term commitment of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, we are honouring the excellent work of the elite sports schools. This is here that the foundation stone is laid for Team Germany and Team Germany Paralympics. I am sure that we will see many of these talents at future sporting events." 

"It takes a lot of discipline, ambition, perseverance and passion to motivate yourself to train hard every day and to focus on achieving your goals, both athletically and academically. These young people can be proud to be role models for other young people, and that is why they are receiving these high awards today," she added.

The Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe has been supporting the elite sports schools since 1997. The awards were presented at the EdS in Frankfurt am Main, the Carl-von-Weinberg School, by Miriam Welte and the President of the German Savings Banks and Cooperative Banks Association, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Reuter.