+ January: Felix Claar
When Sweden failed in the World Handball Championship almost a year ago, the absence of the then injured Felix Claar was palpable. The Östgötland native and midfielder is a key player if the national handball team is to be able to rise at the home European Championship, where Sweden plays its group stage matches in Malmö.
The European Handball Championship in Sweden and Denmark runs from January 15th to February 1st.
+ February: Jonna Sundling
Sweden goes to the Winter Olympics with a lot of medal chances. Sundling is perhaps the one who has the best chance of being called Olympic queen, considering that she is the most all-round strong skater of the dominant blue-yellow cross-country women.
The Winter Olympics in Italy will open on February 6.
+ March: Femke Bol
The Dutch star runner has been piling up medals in recent years, both individually and in relays. For the upcoming season, Bol is changing her main event - from the 400m hurdles to the 800m. Can she be successful straight away in the first championship of the year?
The World Indoor Championships in Athletics in Torun, Poland, will be held March 20 - 22.
+ April: Tara Babulfath
She broke through with a bang when, at the age of 18, she won bronze in both the World Championships and the 2024 Olympics. Three days into next year, Babulfath turns 20 and this spring she can win the first European Championship medal of her career at the senior level.
The European Judo Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, will be held April 16 - 19.
+ May: Carlos Alcaraz
Men's tennis has two new giants. Carlos Alcaraz, 22, and Jannik Sinner, 24, have won all the Grand Slam titles (four each) in the past two years, and the Spanish-Italian final duel in Paris was something out of the ordinary. A repeat next year?
The French Championships in Paris begin on May 24th.
+ June: Nelly Korda
World number two Korda is the superstar of women's golf, but this year her 1.2 million followers on Instagram did not get to read about any victories. Among other things, the American finished second in the US Open, behind Maja Stark. This summer, Korda gets another chance to win the major title she craves most.
The US Open at Riviera Country Club will be played June 4 - 7.
+ July: Leo Messi
When Messi lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022, many probably thought he had taken his last chance to become world champion. But he will also have a chance to defend the title. Messi turns 39 in the middle of this summer's record-breaking World Cup, which will be played with 48 teams and will last more than five weeks.
The World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada runs from June 11 to July 19.
+ August: Sarah Sjöström
At the end of August, her son Adrian was born after a dramatic delivery. Now Sarah Sjöström is slowly planning a comeback. If all goes well, the 32-year-old swimming giant will jump into the European Championship pool less than a year after she became a mother.
The swimming competitions at the European Championships in Paris will be held from August 10 - 16.
+ September: Armand Duplantis
Duplantis set the world record in pole vaulting four times this year, including in Budapest. Next year, he will return to the same venue for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, a high-stakes competition described as a hybrid of championship and gala.
The Ultimate Championship will be held in Budapest September 11 - 13.
+ October: Truls Möregårdh
The man behind the Swedish table tennis fever ensured that the temperature remained high during the past year. The highlight was the victory in the WTT tournament at home in Malmö. Next year, Möregårdh is chasing something he still lacks - an individual championship gold.
The European Table Tennis Championships in Ljubljana will be played October 11 - 18.
+ November: Marie-Philip Poulin
November is not the most festive sports month of the year, but perhaps an ice hockey world championship can brighten up the autumn darkness. For the world's best Poulin, the world championship is a bit of everyday food. The 34-year-old has played in 13 straight tournaments and scored a total of 39 world championship goals for Canada since her debut in 2009.
The Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark will be held November 6 - 16.
+ December: Max Verstappen
After four consecutive world championship titles, Verstappen was recently dethroned by Lando Norris, who won this year's title just ahead of the Dutchman. Verstappen's revenge hunt begins in Melbourne on March 8 and the 24th and final race will be run as usual in Abu Dhabi.
The Formula 1 season ends in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 6.
