Nominees revealed for 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards

December 13, 2012

By @LaureusSport

After the unforgettable Olympic year, it comes as no surprise that many gold medallists from the London Games are up for Laureus Awards. They will, however, be greatly challenged by some outstanding non-Olympians from the worlds of football and Formula 1 to name just a few.  

You can find a review of the Nominees’ achievements from throughout 2012 right here.

The Nominations were announced in Rio de Janeiro by Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses and fellow Academy Member Emerson Fittipaldi, the legendary Brazilian Formula One driver.

Moses, a double Olympic champion in 400 metres hurdles, said: “I always feel in an Olympic year that you are likely to see a strong group of potential Nominees and this year is certainly a great example of that. The Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award particularly is going to be one of the closest contests ever when you look at the wonderful collection of names we have, with the likes of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps and newcomers like Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins. But the list goes on, in every category. This is really the crème de la crème of sport.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the calendar year 2012, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar.  The Nominees were decided through a ballot by the world’s media. The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled at a globally televised Awards Ceremony staged in Rio de Janeiro on March 11.

Due to the close contest in the men’s 2012 World Surfing Championship possibly affecting Nominations for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, the media voting deadline in this category has been extended until after the final event of the season, later this month in Hawaii. The names of the Nominees will be announced in due course.

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics – won 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m Olympic gold medals in London
Mo Farah (United Kingdom) Athletics – won 5,000m and 10,000m double in Olympic Games
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football – Barcelona star who scored 86 goals in the calendar year
Michael Phelps (United States) Swimming – became most decorated Olympian with 22 career medals
Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motor Racing – won third straight Formula One World Championship
Bradley Wiggins (United Kingdom) Cycling – won Tour de France and Olympic Time Trial gold

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Jessica Ennis (United Kingdom) Athletics – won Olympic heptathlon gold medal in London
Allyson Felix (United States) Athletics – won 200m, 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m Olympic gold medals
Missy Franklin (United States) Swimming – at 17, won four gold medals and a bronze at Olympics
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics – successfully defended her 100m Olympic title
Lindsey Vonn (United States) Skiing – won fourth overall skiing World Cup in five years
Serena Williams (United States) Tennis – won Wimbledon, the US Open and two Olympic gold medals

Laureus World Team of the Year
China Olympic Table Tennis Team – won all the medals they could in London - four gold and two silver.
European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) – beat American team after amazing final day fightback at Medinah
Miami Heat (United States) Basketball – beat Oklahoma Thunder to win their second NBA title
Red Bull Formula One Team (Austria) Motor Racing – won third straight Constructors Championship
Spain Men’s Football Team – won European Championship to add to World Cup 2010 and Euro 2008
United States Men’s Basketball Team - won their 14th Olympic basketball gold medal in London

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Yannick Agnel (France) Swimming - at 20, in his first Olympics, won two gold and a silver medal
Gabby Douglas (United States) Gymnastics – first woman to win Olympic individual and team all-around gold
Kirani James (Grenada) Athletics – at 19, won 400m in London for Grenada’s first ever Olympic medal
Andy Murray (United Kingdom) Tennis – won first Grand Slam at US Open, plus Olympic gold and silver
Neymar (Brazil) Football – often compared to the great Pelé, he scored his 100th goal at age 20
Ye Shiwen (China) Swimming – at 16, she won both Olympic 200m and 400m individual medley gold

Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) Athletics – won Olympic 10,000m after coming back from 16 months injury
Ernie Els (South Africa) Golf – won The Open ten years after his previous Major Championship
European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) – on last day turned match against US around for historic 14½-13½ win
Anna Meares (Australia) Cycling – four years after breaking her neck in cycle crash, she won Olympic gold
Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) Athletics – at 34, won 400m hurdles gold again, eight years after Athens
Germany Men’s Olympic Eights Team (Rowing) – won Olympic gold medal for first time since 1988

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Patrick Anderson (Canada) Wheelchair Basketball – came out of retirement to inspire Canada to gold medal
Johanna Benson (Namibia) Athletics – in T37 200m sprint, she won Namibia’s first ever gold medal
Daniel de Faria Dias (Brazil) Swimming – won six Paralympic gold medals in London all in world records
Alan Fonteles Oliveira (Brazil) Athletics – beat favourite Oscar Pistorius to win Paralympic T44 200m gold
David Weir (United Kingdom) Wheelchair Racing – won four gold medals as ‘home’ hero of Paralympics
Alex Zanardi (Italy) Hand Cycling – won two gold medals and a silver at his first Paralympic Games

For more detailed biographies of Nominees go to www.laureus.com