The outdoor athletics season may well have a few more viewers this year after Germany's Alica Schmidt, who has been described as the "world's sexiest athlete", made her return after overcoming ligament and muscular problems.
Schmidt, a speciliast over 400m, has become a bona fide social media sensation since she was awarded the tag of being the sexiest athlete in the world, amassing more than 1.6 million Instagram followers recently - and the 22-year-old bombshell looks set to swell her social following even further after she made a successful return to the track after successfully recovering from nagging injuries.
Schmidt first caused a stir three years ago when Australian magazine 'Busted Coverage' named her as the world's most attractive athlete, prompting her to become one of Germany's most in-demand social media influencers almost overnight.
However, European junior medalist Schmidt has previously expressed her unease at her status as one of sport's most lusted-after athletes, saying that her efforts on the track should be her fans' primary focus.
"I do not know why I got this title. Sport comes clearly first," she said of her sexiest athlete tag.
"There are thousands of girls on Instagram who look good and still do not have as many fans."
Schmidt is poised to attract a whole new array of fans and admirers this season after she confirmed on Instagram that he injury woes are behind her and that she had successfully completed her first 400m outdoor race of the season.
"Outdoor season has finally started," she wrote online.
"Yesterday I ran my first race of this season over 400m and I‘m so excited for the upcoming weeks! After my torn ligament and some muscular problems I am so thankful to be able to run again and very happy with the result yesterday. More to come!"
Schmidt had targeted the Tokyo Olympics last summer as the venue for her to make her mark on the sport, but with the Games postponed until this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic she has been forced to delay her plans by 12 months.
Many expect her to successfully qualify for the German team after restrictions in her country forced her to undertake a rather unusual training regimen in which she raced through forests instead of on the track.
"I can finally train on the track again," she said. "The last month I did everything alone or in pairs outside. I am so happy to be able to train in the stadium again as usual even if nature was not that bad for the training session."
The star's latest Instagram post, however, caused some inadvertent blushes when she rallied her fans for support.
"Going hard for who ever goes hard for me," wrote the star, causing some predictably crude comments from excitable fans.
Schmidt made a breakthrough earlier this year when she was named in the German 4 x 400m relay squad for the European Indoor Championships in Poland, although she was not among the nation's final four runners who came home sixth in the final.
However, if Schmidt can make her mark in Tokyo this summer – or at future Olympics – you can be sure that her status as one of the most attention-grabbing women in sports will remain intact.
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