The North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) Sports Association is holding a vote for sports personality of the year – and, of course, Bayer 04 players and athletes are in the running. There are five nominees in each of the six categories (Sportsman and woman of the Year, Team of the Year, Newcomer and Disabled Athlete of the Year plus the winners of the Football Felix). Five sportsmen and women from Leverkusen have been nominated including Julian Brandt as potential NRW Player of the Year. The Werkself international star does face stiff competition: The Bayer 04 winger is nominated along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Lars Stindl (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Timo Horn (FC Köln).
Successful athletes and disabled athletes from TSV Bayer 04 have also been nominated. The up-and-coming middle-distance runner Konstanze Klosterhalfen, who won a silver medal in the 1,500 metres event at the European Indoor Championships last year, has been nominated as the NRW Sportswoman of the Year. Klosterhalfen won the Felix Award last year In the Newcomer of the Year category. Vanessa Low of TSV Bayer 04 was awarded the Felix in disabled sport last year.
Other nominees amongst the five best include the pole vaulter Bo Kanda Lita Baehre, who won the German Championships this year as well as a silver medal at the U20 European Championships, is in the Newcomer category as are the two disabled athletes Markus Rehm, who won gold medals at the World Cup in London in the long jump and with the Germany sprint relay team, and Johannes Floors, who picked up four medals at the World Cup in London: three golds over 200 m, 400 m and in the 4 x 100 m relay plus a silver over 100 m.
Voting is open online until 4 December: Just click on www.nrw-sportlerdesjahres.de and vote for Julian Brandt, Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Co. The lucky winners will be presented with the Felix Awards at a gala presentation on 15 December at the Mitsubishi Electric Hall in Düsseldorf.
Bayer 04 Women missed out on victory in the Google Pixel Bundesliga as they were held to a draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Estrella Merino Gonzalez had put the Werkself ahead directly from a corner at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, before Laura Freigang levelled for the visitors as it finished all square between fourth and third on Matchday 7.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without attacking midfielder Martin Terrier for the time being. The Frenchman sustained a muscle injury to his left hamstring yesterday, Thursday 15 October, during the Europa League game against Polish champions Lech Poznan (4–0). Terrier is not expected to be available until late December.
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Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
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