Superstar footballer Lionel Messi was on Monday nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, as he returned to the shortlist after winning the coveted honour last year.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya became the first woman to win the double of 1,500 and 5,000m. American Sha’Carri Richardson won a classic 100m from lane nine in her first global final and added 4x100m gold.
Shericka Jackson’s winning time of 21.41 seconds in 200m was the second fastest all-time, seven hundredths of a second short of Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 35-year-old mark.
In tennis, Poland’s Iga Świątek won her third French Open title in 2023, and regained her No.1 spot in the world rankings with victory at the WTA Finals in Cancun.
The footballer of the year was Aitana Bonmatí: she won the World Cup — and the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player — with Spain, Liga F and the UEFA Women’s Champions League with FC Barcelona Femeni plus the Ballon d’Or.
Finally, 2023 was the year Alpine Skier Mikaela Shiffrin passed the all-time mark of 86 World Cup wins set by Ingemar Stenmark, and the American also won her seventh World Championship gold in giant slalom.
Star American gymnast Simone Biles was named as one of the six nominees for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. After a two-year absence, she returned to win four World Championship golds.
The nominees were selected by 1,300 members of the Laureus Global Media Panel.
