Haaland, Johnson-Thompson, Bellingham shortlisted for laureus world sports awards

105

Erling Haaland, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Jude Bellingham have been nominated for the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.

Manchester City is vying for the title of Team of the Year, while striker Haaland is in contention for Sportsman of the Year.

Britain’s double pentathlon world champion Johnson-Thompson has been nominated for Comeback of the Year.

England and Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham, along with Britain’s 1500m world champion Josh Kerr, are among the finalists for the Breakthrough Award.

Haaland, 23, displayed an impressive performance by scoring 52 goals in 53 games during his debut season as Manchester City completed the Treble by securing victory in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, the winner from the previous year, is once again in the running for Sportsman of the Year.

“Last year was a very special year for me and the whole team,” said Haaland.

Johnson-Thompson, 30, won gold at last year’s World Championships in Hungary.

She feared her career was over in 2019 when she tore an Achilles. She was taken off the track in a wheelchair at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a torn calf muscle.

“The journey to get back to being amongst the world’s best after rupturing my Achilles as well as the other injuries and surgeries I’ve had over the past couple years was hard – really really hard,” she said.

“I questioned myself. I felt like quitting. I didn’t know what was possible but I had an amazing team around me who kept me going.”

26-year-old Scot Kerr secured victory in the 1500m world championship in Budapest last year, defeating the favored Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Bellingham, aged 20, has emerged as a pivotal player for Real Madrid since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last summer, commanding a fee of 103 million euros (£89 million). He has scored 20 goals in 29 games this season.

British BMX rider Beth Shriever, aged 24, has been nominated once again for the Action Sportsperson Award, which she won in 2022. Last year, she added the world title to her Olympic triumph.

Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team has been nominated for the Team of the Year accolade.

The awards ceremony will take place in Madrid on April 22.

Nominees were selected by journalists and broadcasters, while the Laureus World Sports Academy, comprising numerous sporting icons, will determine the winners.

Nominees

Sportsman of the Year

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) – tennis

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) – athletics

Erling Haaland (Norway) – football

Noah Lyles (USA) – athletics

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – football

Max Verstappen (Netherlands) – motor racing

Sportswoman of the year

Aitana Bonmati (Spain) – football

Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) – athletics

Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) – athletics

Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – athletics

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – skiing

Iga Swiatek (Poland) – tennis

Team of the year

European Ryder Cup Team – golf

Germany men – basketball

Manchester City – football

Red Bull – Formula 1

South Africa – rugby

Spain women – football

Breakthrough of the year

Jude Bellingham (GB) – football

Linda Caicedo (Colombia) – football

Coco Gauff (USA) – tennis

Qin Haiyang (China) – swimming

Josh Kerr (UK) – athletics

Salma Paralluelo (Spain) – football

Comeback of the year

Simone Biles (USA) – gymnastics

Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast) – football

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (UK) – athletics

Siya Kolisi (South Africa) – rugby

Jamal Murray (Canada) – basketball

Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) – tennis

Sportsperson of the year with a disability

Simone Barlaam (Italy) – swimming

Danylo Chufarov (Ukraine) – swimming

Diede de Groot (Netherlands) – tennis

Luca Ekler (Hungary) – athletics

Nicole Murray (New Zealand) – cycling

Markus Rehm (Germany) – athletics

Action sportsperson of the year

Rayssa Leal (Brazil) – skateboarding

Caroline Marks (USA) – surfing

Kirsten Neuschafer (South Africa) – sailing

Bethany Shriever (GB) – BMX

Filipe Toledo (Brazil) – surfing

Arisa Trew (Australia) – skateboarding

Sport for good

Bola Pra Frente (Brazil) multi-sport & employability

Dancing Grounds (USA) – dancing & social integration

Fundacion Rafa Nadal (Spain) – tennis & education

ISF Cambodia – football & education

Justice Desk Africa (South Africa) – multi-sport & human rights

Obiettivo Napoli (Italy) – multi-sport & inclusion