Austria has been crowned winner of the European Youth Olympic Festival Maribor 2023 photo contest thanks to Patrick Steiner’s photograph of pole vaulter Magdalena Rauter.
1ST PLACE: MAGDALENA RAUTER (AUT) PHOTOGRAPHED BY PATRICK STEINER, SUBMITTED BY THE AUSTRIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE. © EOA/PATRICK STEINER
Run by the European Olympic Academies (EOA) in conjunction with International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Europe, Steiner’s stunning shot captured Rauter’s winning four-metre jump in the pole vault, which saw her claim the gold medal and pass the qualifying height for the U20 European Championship.
The photograph comes at a time when Rauter is nearly fully upside down, with her body straight and only the slightest bend in the pole and she appears perfectly in a gap in the clouds.
The AIPS Europe Executive Committee, who served as the jury in this contest, commented on the unique reflection in the puddle on the red mat, which was emblematic of the many downpours during the games.
In second place was Tyler Miller’s photo of cyclist Greta Lawless, where a large puddle on the floor saw the Irishwomen’s silhouette perfectly reflected alongside a large cargo plane in the background. Hungarian swimmer Vivien Jackl was the subject of the third placed photo, taken by Peter Szalmas, as she dived into the pool to begin one of her races.
Charles Camenzuli, President of AIPS Europe, said “As AIPS Europe, we are very pleased with this first partnership with the EOA and we are looking forward to even more common initiatives in the future. The submissions our EC members had to choose from, were of high quality, amazing moments from the recent EYOF and we are pleased to help promote this excellent event and the messages Olympism offers.”
EOA’s Katrin Wallmann, manager of Olympic Education and EU Projects at the EOA, said. “We would like to thank all the NOCs who participated in the Photo Contest and contributed an artistic value to the legacy of EYOF Maribor, as well as AIPS Europe for the technical expertise in this cooperation and the European Olympic Committees for facilitating the contact to the NOCs.”
The photos submitted to the contest can be seen here.
