Only two triathletes appeared on the list of nominees for this year’s Lauren’s World Sports Awards, and both are Para triathletes and Paralympic champions – Jetze Plat (NED) and Susana Rodriguez (ESP). Six nominees have been nominated in seven categories, with Plat and Rodriguez nominated in the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award category.
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Plat won three Paralympic gold medals in Tokyo last year in triathlon and road cycling. He defended his PTWC triathlon title, then won both the time trial and the road race in the H4 category for cycling. Plat was “born with a shorter left upper leg and no ligaments in his left knee, and his right lower leg and foot were amputated in 2008,” according to a release from Laureus. Plat hasn’t lost a World Triathlon event since 2016 and won the world championships every year from 2015 to 2019.
Rodriguez is a three-time world champion who took her first Paralympic title last summer in the PTVI category. She became a doctor in 2015 and her work during the pandemic was recognized when she appeared on the cover of Time magazine last July.
The winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony in April. Here’s a full list of the nominees:
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Tom Brady (USA) American Football – the greatest NFL quarterback, he won a record seventh Super Bowl
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis – won three Grand Slams in 2021 to take his total of career wins to 20
Caeleb Dressel (USA) Swimming – outstanding male swimmer in Tokyo with five Olympic gold medals
Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) Athletics – became third person in history to win back-to-back Olympic marathons
Robert Lewandowski (Poland) Football – surpassed Gerd Muller’s record of 40 goals in a season for Bayern
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing – won his first Formula One World Championship in 2021
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ashleigh Barty (Australia) Tennis – world No.1, won Wimbledon, her second career Grand Slam
Allyson Felix (USA) Athletics – surpassed Carl Lewis as the most decorated track and field US Olympian
Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming – won 800 and 1,500 metres freestyle golds in Tokyo, plus two silver medals
Emma McKeon (Australia) Swimming – won four gold and three bronze in Tokyo, the most by an individual
Alexia Putellas (Spain) Football – Barcelona captain; won Ballon d’Or and UEFA Women’s Player of Year
Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica) Athletics – won Olympic 100 and 200 metres and 4x100m relay
LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Argentina Men’s Football Team – won Copa America; Lionel Messi’s first international trophy, at age of 34
Barcelona Women’s Football Team (Spain) – won first Champions League, beating English club Chelsea 4-0
China Olympic Diving Team – won gold medals in seven of the eight events staged in the pool in Tokyo
Italy Men’s Football Team – under Roberto Mancini won European Championship for first time since 1968
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team (Germany) – won record eighth Constructors Championship
Milwaukee Bucks (USA) Basketball – inspired by Giannis Antetokounmpo, won a second NBA championship
LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Neeraj Chopra (India) Athletics – won javelin to become India’s first winner of an Olympic athletics gold
Daniil Medvedev (Russia) Tennis – won his first ever Grand Slam, dropping only one set in the US Open
Pedri (Spain) Football – 19, played 53 times in 2020/21 for Barcelona, and every game for Spain in Euro 2020
Emma Raducanu (UK) Tennis – became a global sensation when she won the US Open at the age of 18
Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) Athletics – broke 26-year-old world record to win triple jump gold in Tokyo
Ariarne Titmus (Australia) Swimming – aged 20, beat champion Katie Ledecky at 200 and 400m in Tokyo
LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics – after withdrawing in Tokyo, she came back to win bronze in the beam
Sky Brown (UK) Skateboarding – aged 13, recovered from fractured skull to win bronze medal in Tokyo
Mark Cavendish (UK) Cycling – fought back from depression to win second Tour de France sprint title
Tom Daley (UK) Diving – had knee surgery in June, but won 10 metres synchronised gold in Tokyo
Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling – first win in 581 days, after recovering from broken arm at start of 2020
Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) Cycling – won Olympic time trial days after missing gold in road race
LAUREUS SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY AWARD
Diede De Groot (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis – first player to complete the calendar-year Golden Slam
Marcel Hug (Switz) Wheelchair Athletics – won Paralympic gold medals in 800, 1,500, 5,000m and marathon
Shingo Kunieda (Japan) Wheelchair Tennis – host-nation hero, won fourth Paralympic gold of his career
Jetze Plat (Netherlands) Para Cycling / Para Triathlon – won three Paralympic gold medals in two sports
Susana Rodríguez (Spain) Para Triathlon – won gold in Tokyo in triathlon PTVI, her first Paralympic medal
Sarah Storey (UK) Para Cycling – won three golds from three events to take her career total to 17
LAUREUS WORLD ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ítalo Ferreira (Brazil) Surfing – in Tokyo became the first-ever surfing Olympic gold medal winner
Alberto Ginés (Spain) Climbing – aged 18, scaled 15-metre wall in 6.42 seconds to win speed climbing gold
Yuto Horigome (Japan) Skateboarding – won first ever skateboarding Olympic gold to delight of host nation
Carissa Moore (USA) Surfing – won first ever women’s Olympic surfing gold, then added her fifth world title
Momiji Nishiya (Japan) Skateboarding – at 13, won first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s street event
Bethany Shriever (UK) BMX – first woman to win both Olympic and World Championship gold in same year
LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD
Programmes shortlisted by a specialist selection panel; Laureus Academy select the winner
Ich will da rauf! (Germany) Climbing – disabled and non-disabled share challenge of the climbing wall
Jucà Pe Cagnà (Italy) Multi-sport – provides safe places to play away from the influence of crime
Kick 4 Life (Lesotho) Football – supports young people through health education and HIV testing
Lost Boyz Inc. (USA) Baseball/Softball – works in Chicago to decrease violence and improve social conditions
Monkey Magic (Japan) Climbing – promotes free climbing for those with visual impairment
