Verstappen, Biles & Pidcock among award nominees
Image caption,Verstappen, Biles and Pidcock all enjoyed success in 2024
Olympic champions Simone Biles, Mondo Duplantis, Leon Marchand, Faith Kipyegon, Sifan Hassan and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are among a star-studded shortlist for the Laureus World Sports Awards.
American Biles, the world’s most decorated gymnast, is a three-time winner of the women’s award and also claimed the comeback award last year.
She won three golds in Paris in the team, all-around and vault plus a silver on floor and now has 11 Olympic medals.
She is joined on the shortlist by a trio of athletes – American McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay champion, Kenya’s Kipyegon, who won a third 1500m title and Dutch star Hassan, the marathon champion.
Last year’s winner, the Spanish footballer Aitana Bonmati, and tennis world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus complete the list.
On the men’s side, pole vaulter Duplantis, who retained his Olympic title and has broken the world record 11 times, and swimmer Marchand, the winner of four golds at his home Games, both enjoyed Olympic success last year.
Also on the shortlist are the 2023 winner Max Verstappen, who claimed his fourth consecutive Formula 1 title, Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, who won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and world title, and Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, the winner of Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon
However, Alcaraz’s on-court rival Jannik Sinner, the world number one had his nomination withdrawn last week after he was given a three-month doping ban.
British cyclist Tom Pidcock is nominated for the action award after retaining his Olympic mountain biking title in spectacular style.
Pidcock, who trailed French rider Victor Koretzky by as much as 40 seconds at one point, defied a puncture to win his second consecutive gold.
He is joined on the shortlist by two gold-medal winning skateboarders – Yuto Horigome and last year’s winner Arisa Trew, snowboarder Chloe Kim, surfer Caroline Marks and Polish speed climber Aleksandra Miroslaw.
The McLaren Formula 1 team are the only nominee for the team of the year award not to hail from either Spain or the USA.
The sport’s second longest-lived team ended a 26-year wait to win the 2024 constructors’ championship.
Also nominated are three Spanish football teams – Real Madrid men, Spain men and Barcelona women, along with USA men’s basketball team and the Boston Celtics.
Basketball is also represented in the world breakthrough award through San Antonio Spurs and France star Victor Wembanyama, who is up against Olympic gold-medal winning athletes Julien Alfred of St Lucia and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh and Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal.
Five-time Paris Paralympic gold medallist and London Marathon winner Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland is among those nominated for the sportsperson with a disability along with wheelchair tennis player Tokito Oda, archer Matt Stutzman, swimmers Teresa Perales and Jian Yuhan, and badminton player Qu Zimo.
The nominees for the awards are selected by a panel of journalists and broadcasters with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in Madrid on 16 April.
