Laureus World Sports Awards 2024
Global gold medallists Mondo Duplantis, Shericka Jackson, Faith Kipyegon, Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson have been nominated for Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year honours in this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards.
Athletics is strongly represented, with Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Josh Kerr also among the awards nominees. The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards will take place in Madrid on 22 April.
Swedish pole vault star Duplantis twice improved his own world pole vault record in 2023, first taking it to 6.22m in Clermont-Ferrand and then to 6.23m at the Diamond League Final in Eugene. During an outdoor season in which he only lost once, Duplantis soared six metres or higher a total of 14 times. One of those performances came at the World Championships in Budapest, where he retained his world crown with a 6.10m clearance.
Jamaican sprinter Jackson retained her world 200m title in a championship record of 21.41 in Budapest, recording the second-fastest time in history, and throughout the year she remained undefeated in all her finals at that distance. She also won world 100m silver and ended the year by becoming the Diamond League champion in the 100m and 200m.
Not only did Kenya’s Kipyegon become the world 1500m and 5000m champion in 2023, but she also set three world records – in the 1500m, mile and 5000m. She went on to win the shorter distance at the Diamond League Final and capped her season with another global medal, this time bronze in the road mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23.
US sprinter Lyles secured a world gold medal treble in Budapest, retaining his world 200m title and adding 100m and 4x100m gold medals to his CV. He remained undefeated in his six 200m finals in 2023, ending the year as the world 200m leader and joint 100m leader.
Richardson made her global championships debut in 2023 and the US sprinter came away from Budapest with three medals, two of them gold. She won the 100m in a world-leading PB of 10.65, then bagged bronze in the 200m and finally, she anchored the US 4x100m team to gold.
Six nominees have been selected in each of the eight Laureus categories for this year's awards.
Britain’s Johnson-Thompson, who won heptathlon gold at the World Athletics Championships after multiple injuries, has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award.
Her compatriot Kerr, who won the world 1500m title in Budapest, is among the nominees for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year honour.
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year at last year’s Laureus World Sports Awards in Paris.
