The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognize the sporting achievements of 2010, are considered the most prestigious accolades on the international sports calendar. The winners will be announced on February 7 in Abu Dhabi.
Two French athletes are nominated in the “World Breakthrough of the Year” category: Christophe Lemaître and Teddy Tamgho.
The revenue from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly supports the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, through its backing of approximately 80 community sports projects worldwide that have helped improve the lives of over a million young people.
The two prodigious talents in French athletics, Christophe Lemaitre and Teddy Tamgho, have been nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year 2011 Award.
The winners will be selected by the Laureus World Sports Academy and its decision-making panel, composed of 46 of the greatest athletes of all time, and announced during a televised awards ceremony to be held in Abu Dhabi on Monday, February 7.
At just 20, Christophe Lemaitre won the gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the European Championships in Barcelona. He is the first sprinter to achieve this triple win. He won the 100m in 10.11 seconds, beating Britain’s Christian Malcolm by 0.01 seconds, then took the 200m in 20.37 seconds, before clinching the 4x100m relay with Jimmy Vicaut, Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, and Martial Mbandjock. In July, he had already demonstrated his potential by running under 10 seconds for the first time, with a time of 9.98 seconds. He stated: “This was my goal. You have to run under 10 seconds to be among the world’s best.”
At 21, Teddy Tamgho is already the third-best triple jumper of all time. In June, he jumped 17.98 meters after having secured the gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Doha in March. He also won the triple jump event at the 2010 Diamond League meeting, as well as a bronze medal at the European Championships in Barcelona.
The complete list of nominees for the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards is as follows:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Kobe Bryant (USA) Basketball – won his fifth NBA championship and second MVP trophy with the LA Lakers
Andres Iniesta (Spain) Football – Barcelona star scored the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football – scored 47 goals for Barcelona in the 2009/2010 season
Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis – won the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in the same year
Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) Boxing – first boxer to win world titles in eight different divisions
Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motorsport – youngest F1 world champion at 23 years and 134 days
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) Tennis – won her second consecutive US Open and four other events in 2010
Jessica Ennis (UK) Athletics – won the European heptathlon title and the pentathlon gold at the World Indoor Championships
Blanka Vlasic (Croatia) Athletics – IAAF Athlete of the Year, won high jump gold at the European and World Indoor Championships
Lindsey Vonn (USA) Alpine Skiing – won the World Cup overall title for the third consecutive time and downhill gold at the Olympics
Serena Williams (USA) Tennis – won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, bringing her Grand Slam total to 13
Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) Tennis – became World No. 1 at 20 years old without winning a Grand Slam
Laureus World Team of the Year
All Blacks (New Zealand) Rugby – won the Tri-Nations Series and achieved a Grand Slam tour in the northern hemisphere
European Ryder Cup Team – led by Colin Montgomerie, European golfers defeated the USA 14½-13½
Inter Milan (Italy) Football – won the Italian treble of Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia
Los Angeles Lakers (USA) Basketball – beat their arch-rival, the Boston Celtics, for their 16th NBA title
Red Bull F1 Team (Austria) – won the 2010 drivers’ and constructors’ world championships
Spain World Cup Team – won their first FIFA World Cup in 2010; current European champions
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Martin Kaymer (Germany) Golf – won the US PGA Championship and finished the year as Europe’s No. 1
Christophe Lemaitre (France) Athletics – won the European Championships’ 100m, 200m, and 4x100m triple
Matteo Manassero (Italy) Golf – youngest winner on the European Tour at 17 years and 188 days
Thomas Muller (Germany) Football – winner of the Golden Boot and Young Player award at the World Cup
Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) Golf – ranked 54th in the world, won the Open at St Andrews
Teddy Tamgho (France) Athletics – won triple jump at the Diamond League meeting and World Indoor Championships gold
Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Paula Creamer (USA) Golf – returned from injury to win the US Open by four strokes
Tyson Gay (USA) Athletics – defeated Usain Bolt in Stockholm and ended the year as World No. 1 in the 100m
Justine Henin (Belgium) Tennis – returned after a 16-month hiatus, reached the Australian Open final
Carolina Kluft (Sweden) Athletics – returned after a hamstring tear, reached the European Championships long jump final
Merlene Ottey (Slovenia) Athletics – at 50, became oldest competitor at European Championships
Valentino Rossi (Italy) Moto – returned 41 days after a broken leg to win at Sepang
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Verena Bentele (Germany) Ski/Biathlon – won five gold medals at the Paralympic Winter Games
Michael Teuber (Australia) Swimming – won six gold and one silver at the IPC World Championships
Daniel Dias (Brazil) Swimming – set five world records and won eight titles at the World Championships
Jakub Krako (Slovakia) Alpine Skiing – visually impaired, won three gold medals at the Paralympic Winter Games
Esther Vergeer (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis – unbeaten in singles for eight years
Lauren Woolstencroft (Canada) Alpine Skiing – won five gold medals at the Paralympics in front of fellow Canadians
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Jamie Bestwick (UK) BMX – seventh BMX gold at X Games, with a fourth consecutive win, a first ever
Victor Fernandez (Spain) Windsurfing – won the PWA Wave Tour, leading all season
Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing – won her fourth consecutive world title
Levi Sherwood (New Zealand) Freestyle Motocross – at 18, won two events on the X-Fighters circuit
Kelly Slater (USA) Surfing – won his 10th World Surfing Championship, an unprecedented record
Shaun White (USA) Snowboarding – won his second consecutive Olympic gold in Halfpipe with a score of 48.4 out of 50
