Franco Colapinto conquers Argentina: he is the best athlete of the year (tied). Williams driver Franco Colapinto was voted alongside soccer goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez..

The man of the moment
Franco Colapinto will not be on the starting grid for the next Formula 1 World Championship, but in the meantime, he continues to earn accolades for his performances in the nine races he competed in this year with Williams. After being awarded by F1 fans for the best overtake of the year, the Argentine also unexpectedly triumphed in the Olimpia de Oro, a prestigious annual award given in Argentina by the Association of Argentine Sports Journalists.

The first was Fangio
The 21-year-old from Pilar won the award ex aequo, sharing it with soccer player Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez, goalkeeper for Aston Villa and considered one of the world’s best in his role. The decision to honor Franco Colapinto sparked some controversy, as it meant overlooking José Maligno Torres, who this summer won Argentina’s only gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games in BMX Freestyle.

Franco Colapinto is only the third driver ever to win the Olimpia de Oro. Before him, only Juan Manuel Fangio, in the inaugural 1954 edition, and Agustín Canapino, in 2018 following his championship victory in Turismo Carretera, Argentina’s stock car racing series, had achieved this recognition.