LAUREUS AWARDS: THE CATEGORIES
WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
Last year’s winner: Rafael Nadal
This year’s nominations: Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics; Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis; Cadel Evans (Australia) Cycling; Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football; Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) Basketball; Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Formula One
WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Last year’s winner: Lindsey Vonn
This year’s nominations: Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) Athletics; Maria Hoefl-Riesch (Germany) Alpine Skiing; Carmelita Jeter (US) Athletics; Petra Kvitova (Czech) Tennis; Homare Sawa (Japan) Football; Yani Tseng (Taiwan) Golf
WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR
Last year’s winner: Spain World Cup Team
This year’s nominations: All Blacks (New Zealand) Rugby Union; FC Barcelona (Spain) Football; Dallas Mavericks (US) Basketball; England Cricket Team; Japan Women’s Football Team; Red Bull (Austria) Motor Racing
WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR
Last year’s winner: Martin Kaymer
This year’s nominations: Yohan Blake (Jamaica) Athletics; Mo Farah (UK) Athletics; Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) Tennis; Rory McIlroy (UK) Golf; Li Na (China) Tennis; Oscar Pistorius (SA) Athletics
WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Last year’s winner: Valentino Rossi
This year’s nominations: Eric Abidal (France) Football; Darren Clarke (UK) Golf; Crusaders (NZ) Rugby Union; Sergio Garcia (Spain) Golf; Liu Xiang (China) Athletics; Queensland Reds (Australia) Rugby Union
WORLD SPORTSPERSON WITH A DISABILITY
Last year’s winner: Verena Bentele
This year’s nominations: Terezinha Guilhermina (Brazil) Athletics; Oscar Pistorius (SA) Athletics; Esther Vergeer (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis; David Weir (UK) Wheelchair Athletics; Irek Zaripov (Russia) Nordic Skiing
WORLD ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR
Last year’s winner: Kelly Slater
This year’s nominations: Jamie Bestwick (UK) BMX; Philip Koester (Germany) Windsurfing; Carissa Moore (US) Surfing; Travis Rice (US) Snowboarding; Kelly Slater (US) Surfing; Shaun White (US) Skateboarding/Snowboarding