Siya Kolisi only South African nominated for Laureus World Sports award

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is the only South African nominated in any category for the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards‚ which take place in Monaco next month.

Kolisi‚ who became the first black player to captain the Springbok in Test rugby history when he led them against England last June‚ is nominated in the Moment of the Year category.

The nominations for the ‘Oscars of sport’ were released on Thursday.

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 Kylian Mbappé in the World Sportsman of the Year category.

Winter Olympic champions Ester Ledecka and Mikaela Shiffrin are joined in the 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 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 Olympics Team‚ NBA champions Golden State Warriors and the victorious European Ryder Cup Team.

Trailblazing Spaniard Ana Carrasco‚ the first woman to secure a motor cycling world title‚ is nominated for the World Breakthrough of the Year.

Joining Carrasco is Japan’s first ever Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka‚ Norwegian teenage European 1500 and 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen‚ Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas‚ Italian downhill skiing champion Sofia Goggia and Jamaican sprint sensation Briana Williams.

Full list of Nominees:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis

Lewis Hamilton (UK) Motor Racing

LeBron James (USA) Basketball

Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) Athletics

Kylian Mbappé (France) Football

Luka Modric (Croatia) Football

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year

Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics

Simona Halep (Romania) Tennis

Angelique Kerber (Germany) Tennis

Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic) Skiing / Snowboarding

Daniela Ryf (Switzerland) Ironman Triathlon

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Skiing

Laureus World Team of the Year

European Ryder Cup Team – Golf

France Men’s Football Team

Golden State Warriors (USA) Basketball

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team (Germany)

Norway Winter Olympics Team

Real Madrid (Spain) Football

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year

Ana Carrasco (Spain) Motor Cycling

Sofia Goggia (Italy) Skiing

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) Athletics

Naomi Osaka (Japan) Tennis

Geraint Thomas (UK) Cycling

Briana Williams (Jamaica) Athletics

Laureus World Comeback of the Year

Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) Skating

Mark McMorris (Canada) Snowboarding

Bibian Mentel-Spee (Netherlands) Snowboarding

Vinesh Phogat (India) Wrestling

Lindsey Vonn (USA) Skiing

Tiger Woods (USA) Golf

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability

Henrieta Farkasova (Slovakia) Skiing

Diede de Groot (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis

Brian McKeever (Canada) Cross-country Skiing

Oksana Masters (USA) Cross-country Skiing

Grigorios Polychronidis (Greece) Boccia

Markus Rehm (Germany) Athletics

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year

Maya Gabeira (Brazil) Surfing

Anna Gasser (Austria) Snowboarding

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing

Chloe Kim (USA) Snowboarding

Gabriel Medina (Brazil) Surfing

Shaun White (USA) Snowboarding

Moment of the Year

Sven Hannawald and Kamil Stoch - Welcome To The Club

Doddie Weir - Giant Of A Man

Joe Thompson - A Wembley Dream

Xia Boyu - A Challenge Of Fate

Siya Kolisi - Uniting A Rainbow Nation

Gilberto Martinez - World Cup Requiem

Edward Mills - This Is For You‚ Mum

Patrick Taylor - The Unplayable Delivery

Peter Thompson – Tour De Force

Paul Guest and Edwin Vermetten – Comrades In Arms