MUMBAI: Indian champion wrestler Vinesh Phogat has created history by becoming the first sportsperson from the country to be nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards 2019.
The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games 2018 gold medallist will be competing for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award featuring the likes of golf legend Tiger Woods and US ski racing champion Lindsey Vonn. Last year, she also won the Arjuna Award, coming back strongly following a ghastly knee injury during the Rio Olympics 2016 which made her bound to a wheelchair for nearly 12 months.
In other categories, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, Kenyan marathon world record-breaker Eliud Kipchoge, tennis world No.1 Novak Djokovic and NBA great LeBron James join FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner Modric and FIFA Best Young Player Mbappé in what promises to be a hotly contested Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.
Winter Olympic champions Ester Ledecka and Mikaela Shiffrin are joined in the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award category by celebrated gymnast and the first woman to win four all-around world titles Simone Biles, Grand Slam tennis champions Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber and four-time Ironman World Champion Daniela Ryf.
After winning their fifth straight Formula One Constructors World Championship, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team pick up their third nomination in a row for the Laureus World Team of the Year. Joining them and France men’s football team in a category filled with world-beating teams are three-in-a-row Champions League winners Real Madrid, Winter Olympic medal table-toppers Norway Winter Olympic Team, NBA champions Golden State Warriors and the victorious European Ryder Cup Team.
The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievements during 2018, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners, as voted for by the 66 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, will be unveiled at the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco on 18 February.
