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A glittering collection of the world’s greatest sports stars have been nominated for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards, following a ballot by the world’s media. The winners will be revealed at the Awards Ceremony in Shanghai on April 15.
The Nominations – six in each category - have set up some eye-catching confrontations. None more so than for the Laureus Team of the Year Award, where the shortlist has produced the ultimate football showdown: the German World Cup Team v Real Madrid, winners of a tenth Champions League.
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo will once again be trying to become the first team player to win the individual Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, but he is up against some ferocious opposition. Last year he was beaten by Sebastian Vettel, this time he faces UK pair Lewis Hamilton and Rory McIlory, tennis world No.1 Novak Djokovic, Spain’s World MotoGP champion Marc Márquez and Renaud Lavillenie, the French pole vaulter who broke Sergey Bubka’s 21-year-old world record.
he impact of the FIFA World Cup is also felt in the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year category where Germany’s Mario Götze, who scored the winning goal in the final, and Colombia’s James Rodriguez, winner of the Golden Boot as leading scorer, are both nominated.
The full list of Nominees for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis - won Wimbledon for second time; replaced Rafael Nadal as world No.1
Lewis Hamilton (UK) Motor Racing - won second Formula One World Championship, with 11 victories
Renaud Lavillenie (France) Athletics - broke Sergey Bubka’s 21-year-old pole vault world record
Rory McIlroy (UK) Golf – No.1 golfer in the world, won The Open and USPGA Major Championships
Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling - won his second straight World MotoGP title at the age of 21
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Football - winner of the Ballon d’Or/World Player of the Year award
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award
Valerie Adams (NZ) Athletics – undefeated in shot put for four years; was IAAF Women’s Athlete of Year
Marit Bjørgen (Norway) Nordic Skiing – in Sochi became most decorated female Winter Olympian
Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) Athletics – broke three world records in three different events in two weeks
Tina Maze (Slovenia) Alpine Skiing – won two gold medals in the Winter Olympics, Slovenia’s first ever
Li Na (China) Tennis – won second Grand Slam, reached world No.2 ranking, then had to retire
Serena Williams (US) Tennis – won 18th career Grand Slam, level with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova
Laureus World Team of the Year Award
European Ryder Cup Team (Golf) – beat US 16½-11½, for third straight win and sixth in the last seven
Germany Men’s Football Team - became first European team to win the FIFA World Cup in South America
Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team (Germany) – won Constructors’ World Championship
Real Madrid Football Team (Spain) – won a record tenth Champions League/European Cup victory
San Antonio Spurs (US) Basketball - won NBA Championship for fifth time, beating Miami Heat 4-1
Switzerland Davis Cup Team (Tennis) – inspired by Roger Federer, won Davis Cup for the first time
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award
Marin Cilić (Croatia) Tennis – won first ever Grand Slam at the US Open, beating Kei Nishikori in final
Mario Götze (Germany) Football - scored the winning goal for Germany in the FIFA World Cup Final
Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Motor Racing – won three Grand Prix for Red Bull in his rookie year
James Rodriguez (Colombia) Football – won Golden Boot in FIFA World Cup as leading scorer
Mikaela Shiffrin (US) Alpine Skiing – at 18 years 345 days became youngest Olympic Slalom champion
Switzerland Davis Cup Team (Tennis) – inspired by Roger Federer, won Davis Cup for the first time
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award
Francesco Acerbi (Italy) Football – recovered from cancer to return to Serie A and the Italy football squad
Schalk Burger (S.Africa) Rugby – survived life-threatening bacterial meningitis to return to Springboks team
Diego Milito (Argentina) Football – returned to Racing who won the Argentine title for first time in 13 years
Jo Pavey (UK) Athletics - won European Championships 10,000 metres gold ten months after giving birth
Pierre Vaultier (France) Snowboarding - won Winter Olympics gold just two months after ligament damage
Oliver Wilson (UK) Golf - 792nd in the world rankings, he won his first event after 228 European Tour starts
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award
Shelley Gautier (Canada) Cycling – has won all tricycle T1 UCI para-cycling world titles over past five years
Tatyana McFadden (US) Wheelchair Racing – won Boston, Chicago, London and New York marathons
Roman Petushkov (Russia) Nordic Skiing – first athlete to win six gold medals at a Paralympic Winter Games
Anna Schaffelhuber (Germany) Alpine Skiing – won all five Alpine gold medals at a Paralympic Winter Games
Sarah Storey (UK) Cycling - won four world titles in her first year back after giving birth to her daughter
Yuk Wing Leung (Hong Kong SAR China) Boccia – four golds at World Championships, Asian Para Games
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award
Alan Eustace (US) Skydiving – jumped 135,889ft to break Felix Baumgartner’s 2012 free fall world record
Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing – won her sixth World Surfing Championship
Nyjah Huston (US) Skateboarding – won X-Games Street gold medal with highest ever score of 95.00
Sage Kotsenburg (US) Snowboarding – won inaugural Slopestyle men’s gold medal at the Winter Olympics
Danny MacAskill (UK) Trials Cycling – rode treacherous Cuillin Ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye
Gabriel Medina (Brazil) Surfing – at 20, won Brazil's first ever World Surfing Championship