Brdo pri Kranju - The Slovenian women's ski jumping team, men's basketball team, cross-country skier Anamarija Lampič and former para athlete and sports official Peter Ozmec are the recipients of the 2021 Bloudek Prizes, the highest national awards for current and lifetime achievements in sports.

"In difficult times, good examples and inspiring actions are even more important than usual," said Viktor Grošelj, chairman of the Bloudek Prizes board at the 57th awards ceremony in Brdo pri Kranju on Friday evening, noting that in the past year Slovenian athletes had impressed the country with top results and in a wide range of sports.

Female ski jumpers Ema Klinec, Nika Križnar, Špela Rogelj and Urša Bogataj received the prize for their winning the silver medal at last year's Ski Jumping World Cup in Oberstdorf, Germany. At the competition, they had to concede only to the Austrians, who beat the Slovenian team by merely a handsome point.

"Second place is an outstanding success, but above all the girls showed superb jumps and great team spirit," reads the justification.

More recently, they have won two individual Olympic medals in Beijing and contributed to gold in the mixed teams competition.

The 2021 men's basketball team, led by NBA star Luka Dončić, was celebrated for their performance at the Tokyo Olympics in what was the national men's basketball team's debut at the Olympic Games.

"The boys achieved a remarkable result at the Olympics and led Slovenia to become one of the top four basketball nations in the world."

The team also received one of the main 2021 Athlete of the Year awards in December last year, which are conferred by Slovenian sports journalists.

Another Bloudek Prize was bestowed on Lampič, with the jury saying she has proved many times that she is one of the best cross-country ski sprinters in the world. She received the accolade mainly for winning the bronze medal in the women's classic sprint at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf.

While the first three prizes are for top sports achievements at international level, Ozmec received the lifetime achievement prize for his efforts in para sports. "Peter Ozmec has been active in sport for more than 60 years," said the board, noting his past competing in various sports disciplines and promotion of para sports, especially in the northern Koroška region.