Caster Semenya to battle Serena Williams in top awards
The nominees of the 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards were announced on Tuesday and SA’s Caster Semenya will face off against 2017 Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza and an all-American quartet led by tennis superstar Serena Williams in the World Sportswoman of the Year category.
Besides the irrepressible Williams and Muguruza‚ Semenya will also have to contend with 16-time world athletics championship medalist Allyson Felix‚ 19-year-old swimming sensation Katie Ledecky and Overall World Cup champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin in the hotly contested category.
Semenya‚ who eased to the 800m women's gold medal in the 2016 Olympic Games‚ added the gold medal in the same event to her burgeoning collection in last year's world championships in London.
Semenya also won bronze in the women's 1500m at the same World Championships.
Roger Federer’s return to form after a knee injury‚ which saw him win his fifth Australian Open and eighth Wimbledon titles‚ earned him nominations in both the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and the Laureus World Comeback of the Year categories.
Football also features heavily on the nomination list as Cristiano Ronaldo will compete in the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards‚ Real Madrid in the Laureus World Team of the Year‚ Kylian Mbappé is in contention for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year and Barcelona and Chapecoense are nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.
World championships 10‚000m gold and 5‚000m silver medal-winning athlete Mo Farah‚ four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome‚ four-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and French and US Open champion Rafael Nadal join Federer and Ronaldo in the World Sportsman of the Year category.
The winners‚ as voted for by members of the Laureus World Sports Academy‚ will be revealed in Monaco on February 27.
Full list of nominees:
World Sportsman of the Year:
Mo Farah
Roger Federer
Lewis Hamilton
Rafa Nadal
Cristiano Ronaldo
Chris Froome
World Sportswoman of the Year:
Caster Semenya
Serena Williams
Allyson Felix
Katie Ledecky
Mikaele Shiffrin
Garbine Muguruza
World Team of the Year:
Real Madrid
Golden State Warriors
New England Patriots
Mercedes F1 team
New Zealand America's Cup team
World Breakthrough of the Year:
Sergio Garcia
Anthony Joshua
Kylian Mbappe
Caleb Dressel
Jelena Ostapenko
World Comeback of the Year:
Justin Gatlin
Roger Federer
Sally Pearson
Valentino Rossi
Chapecoense
Sportsperson with a disability:
Marcel Hug
Yui Kamiji
Bibian Mentel-Spee
Jetze Plat
Oksana Masters
Markus Rehm
Action Sportsman of the Year:
John John Florence
Anna Gasser
Nyjah Huston
Armel Le Cleac'h
Mark McMorris
Tyler Wright
Sporting Moment of the Year:
Billy Whizz Is Back
Brave Bradley's Fight
Eternal Champions
Wave for the Kids
When Tears Turn into Smiles