German track star Alica Schmidt went public with her photographer boyfriend after winning her 400m heat at the national championships on Saturday.
Schmidt, 25, was dubbed 'the world's sexiest athlete' by Australian magazine Busted Coverage in 2017, and is set to compete at this summer's Paris Olympics after sealing her spot last month.
She continued her fine form on Saturday at the German Championships by qualifying for the final in a time of 52.18 seconds, which was only just outside her personal best.
After crossing the line with a smile on her face, Schmidt made her way over to 27-year-old photographer Fredi Richter-Mendau and they shared a kiss.
According to German outlet Bild, they have been a couple for around eight years, with Schmidt moving to Potsdam, a city on the border of Berlin, so she could be near Richter-Mendau in 2017.
Alica Schmidt (left) went public with her photographer boyfriend Fredi Richter-Mendau (right) as they shared a kiss after her race on Saturday
Schmidt has been dubbed 'the world's sexiest athlete' by an Australian magazine
She is set to compete at the Paris Olympics in the mixed relay this summer
However, Schmidt, who has over 5million followers on Instagram, has never posted a photo of them together on her social media.
They have finally gone public, but Schmidt insists she is fully focused on performing on the track ahead of today's final where she is among the favourites.
'To be honest, I'm not even thinking about it [being the favourite]' she told reporters. I just want to deliver my best race for myself.
Because we're competing in the relay at the Olympic Games, I obviously hope that we'll run good times across the board.
'This is the most important year of my career. That's why I'm so happy that things are going so well now. At the highlight so far, I was able to show what I'm capable of and of course I hope it continues like this.'
Schmidt has competed at the highest level in athletics for a number of years having previously run at European and World Championships.
She made the Olympic squad for the relay team in 2021, but did not run in the end.
Schmidt has been selected for the mixed relay team for Paris, and will hope to finally take to the track on the biggest stage this time around.
Despite thriving as a runner, Schmidt has previously opened up about her struggles to live off her salary as an athlete.
Schmidt has been pictured with football superstar Neymar in the past
She has also been snapped with former boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua
She revealed last year that she only gets paid £600 when selected by her country to compete, insisting that her presence on Instagram and TikTok keeps her going.
She also claimed that she has turned down six-figure contract offers that she 'doesn't feel comfortable' with, instead choosing to focus on her athletics career and building her social media following.
Schmidt has rubbed shoulders with some of sport's biggest superstars, having thrashed World Cup-winning footballer Mats Hummels in a race in 2021.
She then challenged Erling Haaland to a race, but he is yet to accept, while she has also been pictured with Anthony Joshua and Neymar.