Trio joined by fellow track and field stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Raphael Holzdeppe, Marcel Hug and Tatyana McFadden in shortlists for prestigious awards
Seven athletes from the world of track and field have been nominated for the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards.
Sprint star Usain Bolt could win a record-equalling fourth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award as he is included in a six-strong shortlist. The triple Olympic and world champion won the top honour for the third time in 2013 as Jessica Ennis was named the sportswoman of the year following the pair’s achievements at the London 2012 Games.
Bolt went on to claim 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow which led him to again be nominated for the prestigious award in 2014. Also listed is double Olympic and world champion Mo Farah, who did the distance double over 5000m and 10,000m in Moscow.
Up for Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who matched her compatriot Bolt’s achievement in winning three sprint gold medals in Moscow, and Yelena Isinbayeva, who won world pole vault gold in front of a home crowd last August.
Raphael Holzdeppe claimed Germany’s first ever World Championships pole vault gold in Moscow and is nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award, while Isinbayeva is also on the shortlist for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and American wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden are among those nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award following their numerous world golds and road success in 2013.
The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy which comprises 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen, will be unveiled at a globally televised awards ceremony staged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 26.
“I have never seen such a potentially close contest in so many categories before,” commented Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Edwin Moses.
“This is going to be a classic year. There is a wonderful balance between some of the great names who have dominated sport over many years and some exciting newcomers like Missy Franklin and Marc Márquez. I am especially thrilled by the line-up for the Disability Award, where you could make a case for any of the six to win.
“This is really the crème de la crème of sport and it is going to be an exciting night in Kuala Lumpur discovering which of these great athletes will receive Laureus Awards.”
» You can find the full lists of nominees here
