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Here's the list of the athletes nominated in their different categories for the 2023 Laureus Sports Awards.
Track and Field has a significant representation in the nomination list at the 2023 Laureus Awards, as five athletes have been listed in different categories.
The prestigious award was first held in 2000, honours the greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year, and showcases the work of Laureus Sport for good.
Here's the list of the athletes nominated in their different categories.
Breakthrough of the Year
In 2022, Tobi Amusan became Nigeria's first World Record (WR) holder in any track and field event, after racing to an exceptional 12.12s to win her 100m Hurdles semifinal race at the World Championships in Oregon.
She then became Nigeria's first World Champion outdoors by winning the World title in the final, clocking another massive time of 12.06s (2.6m/s). It would have been a new WR as well, but for the excessive wind reading which made it illegal.
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Less than two weeks after Oregon, Amusan added Commonwealth and Diamond League titles, clocking record-breaking times of 12.30s (Games Record) and 12.29s (Meeting Record) to successfully defend both titles, making her the first Nigerian athlete in history to achieve such a feat.
Sportswoman of the Year
There are two nominees in this category; Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
McLaughlin-Levrone had a fantastic 2023 season herself. The American broke the 400m Hurdles WR on two occasions and won two Gold medals at the World Championships in Oregon.
The 23-year-old first broke the WR in June, at the USA World Championships trials in Eugene, running an outstanding 51.41s.
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Barely a month later, she ran an incredible 50.68s to successfully retain her World title, breaking the WR for the second time. Thereafter, she helped the USA 4x400m relay team secure a third consecutive World title, with a blazing split time of 47.91s.
For her outstanding performances, she was named the 2022 World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year.
Fraser-Pryce had an incredibly consistent 2022 season. The Jamaican surpassed the 10.70s mark in the 100m seven times throughout this season and one of those performances – her 10.67s in Oregon – saw her become the first athlete to win five World titles in a single individual running event.
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In her 15th season of international racing, the 35-year-old sprint star continued to blaze a trail.
Sportsman of the Year
Mondo Duplantis was nominated in this category for winning the World Indoor and Outdoor titles last year.
He also set the Pole Vault WR indoors and outdoors, and this year he has erased his indoor WR again, with a height of 6.10m.
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The Swedish star is regarded as the greatest pole vaulter in history.
Comeback of the Year
Jakob Ingebrightsen narrowly missed out on a 1500m Gold medal at the World Championships in Oregon, but came back to reach the pinnacle with a 5000m victory a few days later.
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By doing this, the Norwegian became the first male runner not born in Africa to win an Olympic or World Championships Gold in the 5000m in 30 years, dated back to Dieter Baumann at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
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