Laureus World Sports Award winners took a selfie after the ceremony. Image: Twitter/Laureus
Lionel Messi won the top accolade as World Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards held in Paris. He also collected another award as part of team of the year for Argentina’s victory at the FIFA World Cup last year.
This is Messi’s second individual title after sharing the honour with Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
Messi is the first athlete to win the individual and team award in the same year.
“I was looking at the names of the incredible legends that won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award before me: Schumacher, Woods, Nadal, Federer, Bolt, Hamilton, Djokovic… it really sunk in what unbelievable company I’m in and what a unique honour this is,” the Argentine said.
Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Prycer won the Sportswoman of the Year award on her sixth nomination.
Fraser-Pryce’s exploits last year included winning the 100-meter gold at the World Athletics Championships for a staggering fifth time.
Fraser-Pryce, who has won three Olympic and 10 world championship gold medals, called her award “one of the greatest honours of my career.”
Elsewhere, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, who won the US Open last year as a teenager and climbed to the top of the ranks, was honoured with the Breakthrough of the Year award.
The Laureus World Sports Awards were held in person in Paris for the first time since 2020. They were held virtually on account of coronavirus pandemic since.
List of 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards winners:
World Sportsman of the Year Award: Lionel Messi
World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
World Team of the Year Award: Argentina Men’s Football Team
World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Carlos Alcaraz
World Comeback of the Year Award: Christian Eriksen
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Catherine Debrunner
World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Eileen Gu
Laureus Sport for Good Award: TeamUp
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
