Laureus Awards: Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek nominated
Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek battle it out for the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards.
by SID
last edit: Feb 20, 2023, 11:22 am
Numerous world stars are fighting for the Laureus World Sports Awards 2023. Argentina's soccer world champion Lionel Messi, four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis, tennis ace Rafael Nadal and Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen are among the nominees in the election for athlete of the year.
Among the women are the alpine ski series winner Mikaela Shiffrin from the USA, Jamaica's sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, tennis world number one Iga Swiatek from Poland and US exceptional swimmer Katie Ledecky contenders for the title Sportswoman of the Year.
Breakthrough of the Year: Alcaraz and Rybakina there
The winners in a total of seven categories will be announced at the Laureus World Sports Awards in spring. Two rising tennis talents have been nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who won the US Open and has since been ranked number one in the world, and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, who triumphed at Wimbledon. Also nominated is the Moroccan men's national football team, which reached the World Cup semi-finals.
Among the nominees for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award are Argentina's world champion team led by Messi, Champions League winners Real Madrid with Toni Kroos, England's European soccer champions, who defeated Germany 2-1 in the final after extra time, and NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
One of the nominees in the Comeback of the Year category is Denmark's football star Christian Eriksen, who suffered cardiac arrest in the opening game of EURO 2020 and is continuing his career with a defibrillator.