The winners of the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards have been unveiled at a globally televised Awards Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. Among the highlights was a third Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award for Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis claiming the Sportswoman of the Year title and Felix Baumgartner being rewarded for his record-breaking “jump from the edge of space”.
The winners of the prestigious global awards are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen and this year’s winners were dominated by the stand-out performers from London 2012.
Usain Bolt was acclaimed Laureus World Sportsman of the Year after his remarkable performance at the Olympics when he repeated his success in Beijing by winning gold medals in all three sprint events in London – 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay. This is the third time he has been awarded the accolade after triumphs in 2009 & 2010.
The Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award went to Jessica Ennis, who dominated the heptathlon at London 2012 and won the gold medal with a British record score of 6,955 pts. Another British star, tennis’ Andy Murray secured his first ever Grand Slam victory, at the US Open, plus an Olympic gold and silver medal in the singles and mixed doubles in London, which was enough to make him the winner of the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award.
Another outstanding Olympic champion, the Dominican Republic’s Felix Sanchez, received the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award after winning the Olympic 400 metres hurdles gold medal in London, eight years after he won it for the first time in Athens in 2004. Brazil’s Daniel Dias, aged 24, was once again the outstanding swimmer of the Paralympic Games, winning six individual gold medals in London, all in world record times. It was an achievement which won him the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award for the second time.
Outside of London 2012, Austria’s Felix Baumgartner was awarded for his record-breaking 127,000ft.’jump from the edge of space’ by taking home the World Action Sports Award, whilst Jose Maria Olazabal’s European Ryder Cup Team were named Team of the Year after their sensational comeback at the 2012 Ryder Cup
