Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was recognised as the Sportsman of the Year, after a stunning 2011, when he won three Grand Slam events – the Australian Open, the U.S. Open and the Wimbledon Championships. He also wrested the sport’s No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal. Djokovic started 2012 in much the same fashion, beating Nadal in an epic 5-set thriller in the finals of the Australian Open.Reuters
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was recognised as the Sportsman of the Year, after a stunning 2011, when he won three Grand Slam events – the Australian Open, the U.S. Open and the Wimbledon Championships. He also wrested the sport’s No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal. Djokovic started 2012 in much the same fashion, beating Nadal in an epic 5-set thriller in the finals of the Australian Open.ReutersThe award for Sportswoman of the Year was an easy choice – Kenya’s extraordinary distance runner, Vivian Cheruiyot, won both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres Gold Medals at the World Championships in Daegu.ReutersSpanish football team FC Barcelona have been on an altogether different level for some time now. The Catalonia-based club continued their impressive domination of European club football, winning the Spanish league and the European Champions Cup for the 2010/11 season.ReutersRising young Northern Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy, won the World Breakthrough award, after winning his first Major Championship – the U.S. Open. More notably, his final 72-hole score (of 268 shots) was a U.S. Open record.ReutersAnother golfer, Darren Clarke, was recognised with the Comeback award, after his Open Championship win at Royal St. George’s. The remarkable feature of his win was that this was his 20th attempt... and Clarke was 42.ReutersSouth African disabled athlete Oscar Pistorius (more commonly known, perhaps, as “Blade Runner” because of his carbon fiber blades) won the Disability Award after becoming the first amputee ever to win a track medal in a non-disabled World Championship. He won silver in the 4x400m relay.ReutersEnglish football hero Sir Bobby Charlton (standing to the right of David Beckham) was recognised for a lifetime of contribution to his chosen sport. Sir Charlton was the guiding light of the English national team that claimed its first (and since then only) FIFA Football World Cup, in 1966.ReutersAmerican surfing icon Kelly Slater has had a stranglehold on the Action Sportsperson of the Year award in recent times. This is his fourth win in the category; the only other athlete to have four wins is Swiss tennis star Roger Federer.ReutersEnglish football hero Sir Bobby Charlton was recognised for a lifetime of contribution to his chosen sport. Sir Charlton was the guiding light of the English national team that claimed its first (and since then only) FIFA Football World Cup, in 1966.ReutersAnother footballing legend, former Brazilian international Rai, was awarded the Sport for Good award, after spending much of his post-football life campaigning for social justice.Reuters
The Laureus World Sports Award is an internationally recognized distinction, for any sportsperson or team... one that says to the world that this person or this sports team has achieved remarkable milestones and completed famous feats this year. It is an award that distinguishes not just a winner but a sportsperson who will go down in history as a champion of an era.
The 2012 World Sports Awards were held on Monday, in London.
Check Out the Full List of Winners and Photographs of that Exclusive List:
