Laureus World Sports Awards Nominees Announced
Lando Norris, Luke Littler, and the England women's football team are among the nominees for the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements across various sports disciplines.
After securing the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship in a dramatic final race in Abu Dhabi, Norris has been shortlisted in the Breakthrough of the Year category.
He will compete against Luke Littler, who at 18 years old became the youngest player to complete darts' prestigious Triple Crown by winning the World Championship, Premier League, and World Matchplay titles.
The England women's football team, known as the Lionesses, who triumphed in the European Championship last summer after a penalty shoot-out victory against Spain, are nominated for the Team of the Year award. They face competition from the European Ryder Cup golf team, which secured its first victory on U.S. soil since 2012, and McLaren, the Formula 1 constructors' champions.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony scheduled for 20 April in Madrid.
Leah Williamson, captain of the Lionesses, who led England to their second consecutive European Championship title and guided Arsenal to Champions League success after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, is nominated in the Comeback of the Year category.
Her competitors in this category include Rory McIlroy, who ended an 11-year wait for a fifth major by winning the Masters and completing a career Grand Slam, and Simon Yates, who won the 2025 Giro d'Italia seven years after losing a 38-minute lead.
Tom Pidcock, last year's Action Sportsperson of the Year, is again shortlisted for that award following his victories at the Mountain Bike World Cup and European Mountain Bike Championship, as well as achieving his first Grand Tour podium at the Vuelta a España.
Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, the reigning Sportsman of the Year, has been nominated again after winning a third consecutive outdoor world title and setting four world records.
Among Duplantis' rivals for Sportsman of the Year is Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who played a key role in Paris Saint-Germain's first-ever Champions League victory. Tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who shared the four Grand Slam titles last year, are also contenders.
Other nominees include Tadej Pogacar, who secured his fourth Tour de France title, and seven-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez.
Sportswoman of the Year Nominees
Barcelona women's midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who could repeat her 2024 success in the Sportswoman of the Year category, led her club to a domestic treble and earned a record-setting third consecutive Ballon d'Or.
Other nominees include tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, who finished the season as world No. 1 after winning her second US Open, and Katie Ledecky, the 800m and 1500m freestyle world champion swimmer.
The category is completed by three athletes who excelled at the World Championships in Tokyo in September: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, winner of the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay; Faith Kipyegon, a four-time 1500m gold medallist; and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, winner of the 400m.
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Nominees
Six athletes are shortlisted for the Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award, including David Kratochvil, who won four gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships.
He is joined by fellow swimmers Gabriel Araujo and Simone Barlaam, Para-athlete Catherine Debrunner, and ice hockey player Kelsey DiClaudio.
Summary of Key Nominees by Category
Sportsman of the Year
- Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) - Tennis
- Ousmane Dembele (France) - Football
- Armand Duplantis (Sweden) - Athletics
- Marc Marquez (Spain) - Motorcycling
- Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) - Cycling
Sportswoman of the Year
- Aitana Bonmati (Spain) - Football
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) - Athletics
- Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) - Athletics
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) - Athletics
Team of the Year
- Oklahoma City Thunder - Basketball
Breakthrough of the Year
- Desire Doue (France) - Football
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) - Basketball
Comeback of the Year
- Amanda Anisimova (USA) - Tennis
- Egan Bernal (Colombia) - Cycling
- Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) - Athletics
- Leah Williamson (GB) - Football
Action Sportsperson of the Year
- Kilian Jornet (Spain) - Ultra Running
- Rayssa Leal (Brazil) - Skateboarding
- Molly Picklum (Australia) - Surfing
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
- Gabriel Araujo (Brazil) - Swimming
- Simone Barlaam (Italy) - Swimming
- Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) - Athletics
- Kelsey DiClaudio (USA) - Ice Hockey
- David Kratochvil (Czech Republic) - Swimming
- Kiara Rodriguez (Ecuador) - Athletics
