LN Talent of the Year 2025: Predictions & Contenders

Lübeck. Last year, handball player Janne Overbeck from VfL Bad Schwartau was voted LN Talent of the Year by a wide margin by readers. The mode changes in the new edition.

The LN Talent of the Year 2025 will be determined by an expert jury for the first time. Members of the decision-making committee include Björn Lötsch (coach of Lübecker RG) and Maya Rehberg (LN Talent of the Year 2012 and LN Athlete of the Year 2016). For the first time, the prize is endowed with 500 euros, donated by “naturally waterbeds” in Lübeck.

Participate and vote: Click here to go directly to the LN athlete election

And for the first time, we gave young athletes the opportunity to apply as talent for the new LN Sport Award. The criteria: The talent must be at least 13 years old and be based in the LN region. This year it has shone nationally or internationally, made it into a national or state squad or achieved another extraordinary achievement.

At the same time, the LN sports editorial team made a selection that met the criteria. Under the term talent we define on the one hand the innate abilities, on the other hand what has already been learned and also the individual potential of the athlete. Here is our selection:

The 17-year-old para-swimmer from SC Delphin Lübeck is up for election again. In 2025 he won silver and bronze (relay) as well as fourth place in the individual at the Para Youth Games in Istanbul. Bálint also became German youth champion twelve times and won his first international medal at the Para Swimming World Series with bronze in the 200 meter breaststroke.

The 17-year-old beach volleyball player from VSG Lübeck followed in Thilo Rietschel’s big footsteps and won gold at the German U20 Championships with his Kiel partner Lasse Hüper.

The 17-year-old rower from Lübecker RG crowned her year with her first participation in a world championship. When she was young, the German youth champion was nominated for the U19 World Cup and won the bronze medal in the double scull at her debut with the national team. The high school student was also nominated for SH Athlete of the Year 2025.

The 17-year-old rower was active in various boats before she picked up the steering ropes and, above all, brought various eights to the finish quickly and safely. Her greatest success was the bronze medal at the U19 World Championships in 2025 as helmsman of the German junior eight.

The 19-year-old athlete from SC Rönnau ran the 400 meters indoors in February to win the German U20 championship title and broke the national record in 47.99 seconds, which was set 16 years ago by Pascal Nabow from Rönnau at the time (48.33). Things also went well outdoors for the Bad Segeberger. Nominated for the U20 European Championships in Tampere, Finland, he sprinted to fourth place with the German 4×400 meter relay team.

The 18-year-old Para table tennis player from Krummesser SV plays in the Sieker Regionalliga team, won gold (singles) and silver at the Para Youth Games and became German youth champion in singles and doubles. He also won the Top 48 youth 19 national ranking tournament and won three titles at the German Adult Para Championships. For 2026 he was appointed to the DTTB’s NK1 squad in regular table tennis. This means he is part of the national junior squad in both para and non-para.

The 16-year-old golfer from Lübeck-Travemünder GK secured the title at the German Youth Championships in the 16 age group with four strokes less than his closest rival. The big goal of the Hamburg sports intern is to become a professional golfer.

The 17-year-old judoka from Budokan Lübeck won silver with the team at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) and came fifth in the individual. This meant she qualified for the U18 World Cup. She also won silver twice (youth/junior) at the German Championships.

The 17-year-old athlete from LBV Phönix sprinted to gold as northern champion at the German Indoor Championships, winning the U18 over 400 meters in 48.30 seconds. In the semifinals he had improved the national record to 48.02.

The 16-year-old triathlete from Tri-Sport Lübeck lived up to his role as favorite at the German Youth A Championships in the Franconian endurance mecca of Roth and secured the title in a superior manner. The Lübeck native also celebrated his debut in the Junior European Cup, finishing ninth out of 56 finishers as a youngster in Riga, Latvia.

The 15-year-old footballer came to 1. FC Union Berlin via FC Selmsdorf, VfB Lübeck and Holstein Kiel. In the U17 youth league, the right-back, who can also be used in central midfield, was used in ten out of twelve games. The talent, who lived in Selmsdorf until the summer, played two games each for the German U15 and U16 national teams.

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