Mondo Duplantis, Simone Biles Win Top Honours At Laureus World Sports Awards
Star pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, while American gymnast Simone Biles bagged the top women's honour at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony here on Monday. The 25-year-old Duplantis, regarded as the greatest pole vaulter of all time, was fourth-time lucky after being nominated in each of the past three years. He became only the second track-and-field athlete after four-time winner Usain Bolt to claim the prestigious award.
Duplantis won his second World Indoor Championship gold medal in March and broke his own world record for a remarkable ninth time in 2024 en route to Olympic gold in Paris.
The Swede-American gained more votes than Spain's Carlos Alcaraz (Tennis), France's Léon Marchand (Swimming), Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar (Cycling) and Netherlands' Max Verstappen (Motor Racing).
"I am incredibly honoured to have won my first Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in the sporting capital of Madrid and to have the great Usain Bolt pay tribute to me..." he said.
Biles, who returned to action after a break, clinched three gold and one silver medal in a stunning comeback at the Paris Olympics to claim her fourth Laureus award -- equalling the record held by Serena Williams. Both the athletes also have one Comeback of the Year honour.
"I'm so happy to be here in Madrid and to receive my fourth Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award," said Biles, who topped the polls ahead of Spain's Aitana Bonmati (Football), Netherlands' Sifan Hassan (Athletics), Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (Athletics), USA's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Athletics) and Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka (Tennis).
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade got the Comeback of the Year award for her inspirational return from a series of career-threatening injuries. Andrade, who contemplated quitting after three ACL injuries, made a triumphant return by winning gold in the floor exercise at the Paris Games.
"This beautiful Laureus Statuette represents a huge amount of hard work, of struggle and pain, and also great happiness," she said.
She surpassed Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant, USA's Caeleb Dressel (Swimming), Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami (Alpine Skiing), Spain's Marc Marquez (Motor Cycling) and Australian Ariarne Titmus (Swimming).
Real Madrid were adjudged Laureus World Team of the Year following a dominant campaign that saw them win La Liga for a record 36th time, clinch their 15th UEFA Champions League title, and defeat Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana.
They also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup early in the 2024-25 season, making Carlo Ancelotti the most decorated manager in the club's history.
Tennis great Rafael Nadal was conferred the Laureus Sporting Icon Award in a year he announced his retirement from professional tennis.
'Back in 2006 I won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award in Barcelona... Tennis and sports in general has given me so much...," Nadal said.
Tom Pidcock won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award for his dramatic Olympic mountain bike cross country gold. After suffering a puncture, the British cyclist fought back to overtake home favourite Victor Koretsky in the final stages.
Pidcock became the fourth British cyclist to win the award after Jamie Bestwick (2014), Rachel Atherton (2017) and Beth Shriver (2022).
Paralympic swimmer Jiang Yuyan won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award after claiming seven gold medals from as many events.
Teen football sensation Lamine Yamal received the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. The Spanish winger became the youngest player to score and feature in a European Championship final and was named the tournament's Best Young Player.
Kelly Slater, widely considered the greatest surfer of all time, received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award. Slater is a four-time winner of the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award and an 11-time World Surf League champion.
The full list of Winners is:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award: Mondo Duplantis
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Simone Biles
Laureus World Team of the Year Award: Real Madrid
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Lamine Yamal
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award: Rebeca Andrade
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Jiang Yuyan
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Tom Pidcock
Laureus Sport for Good Award: Kick4Life
Laureus Sporting Icon Award: Rafael Nadal
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: Kelly Slater.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
FIFA Club World Cup: Top 5 transfers
FIFA Club World Cup: Top 5 transfers By Debodinna Chakraborty With the FIFA Club World Cup starting from June 15, clubs have taken the chance to bolster up their squad for the competition. Clubs gear up for CWC With June 11 marking the last day for squads to submit their squad for the tournament, the clubs finalised their roster with some last-minute signings. Deadline Day Here are the top deadline day transfers for Club World Cup sides. Top transfers Manchester City completed roped-in Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, as part of a quartet-signing from the side. 1. Tijjani Reijnders Another Manchester City, which has prospects of being key for the side is that of Ryan Cherki from Olympique Lyon. 2. Ryan Cherki With Trent Alexander-Arnold moving to Real Madrid, Liverpool roped in Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen. 3. Jeremie Frimpong Trent-Alexander Arnold make a big move from Liverpool to Real Madrid, joining his England teammate Jude Bellingham. 4. Trent-Alexander Arnold Another City signing on the list is them bringing in Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves. The midfielder impressed many this season. 5. Rayan Ait-Nouri Bayern Munich completed the signing of Johnathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen. 5. Johnathan Tah
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tyler Adams says US soccer team tunes out criticism from former players
Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build.' Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. 'Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa , whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions,' Dempsey said last week on the 'Men in Blazers' podcast. 'For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games.' Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: 'I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup.' Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. 'This is part of the process,' Adams said. 'You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together.' Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. 'A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp,' Adams said. 'Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it.' Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. 'Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet,' Adams said. 'It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities.' Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. 'It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy,' he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things." Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. 'From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg,' Adams said. 'Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play.' Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. 'After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'' he said. 'No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished." soccer: /hub/soccer
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bihar to establish residential sports school for para-athletes
Bihar is set to establish a dedicated Residential Sports School for Para-Athletes, the first of its kind in the region, the state government announced on Wednesday. The said initiative will be implemented under the 'Mukhyamantri Khel Vikas Mahatvkanshi Yojana' as part of one of the Eklavya Schools. This school is being established following India's performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, where Indian athletes brought home a record-breaking 29 medals - seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze - marking the country's best-ever performance at the multi-discipline event. According to a statement from the Bihar State Sports Authority, 'The Residential Para Sports School aims not only to identify and train talent across Bihar and beyond but also to set a national benchmark in inclusive athlete development. It aligns with the Government of India's broader vision under the Khelo India and National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) frameworks, reinforcing that para-sports are not peripheral but central to India's sporting ambitions.' ALSO READ | Duplantis headlines Oslo Diamond League, Warholm eyes 300m hurdles showdown 'This institution will serve as a launchpad for future Paralympians, equipped to groom medal prospects for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games and beyond,' it added. Several athletes from Bihar have represented India at national and international platforms, winning medals at Khelo India Para Games, National Para Championships, Para Athletics Nationals, and in sports such as powerlifting, athletics, swimming and badminton. Pramod Bhagat of Vaishali clinched gold in men's singles SL3 badminton at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Sharad Kumar, from Muzaffarpur, secured a silver medal in men's high jump T63 at the Paris 2024 Games, while Soman Rana, originally from Shillong, trained extensively in Bihar with Army support and finished 5th in shot put F57 and clinched national gold in 2025. 'Bihar has always been a land of potential. With the right investment in infrastructure, coaching and inclusion, we can turn our para-athletes into national heroes. This Residential Sports School is a milestone towards equity, excellence and empowerment,' Raveendran Sankaran, IPS – DG cum CEO, Bihar State Sports Authority, said.
