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Events
The Awards
The
prestigious Laureus World Sports
Awards celebrated its 15
th
year by staging
the awards for the first time ever in South
East Asia in the dynamic city of Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia on March 26. The
premier event in the international sport-
ing calendar is one that is held to honour
the great achievements of sportsmen and
sportswomen each year.
Top stars who were present at the
awards ceremony this year included
sportsmen such as Hidetoshi Nakata,
Niki Lauda, Nico Rosberg, Tony Hawk,
Louis Hamilton and Eric Cantona, as well
top Malaysian athletes, Nicol David, Lee
Chong Wei and Pandelela Rinong.
Globally televised to audiences around
the world, the awards show was hosted
by British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch,
with a performance by Oscar and Grammy
winner, Jamie Foxx.
Winners of this year’s event included
four-time Olympic Gold medal swimmer
Missy Franklin from the United States,
Sebastian Vettel, who in 2013 won his
fourth straight Formula OneWorld Cham-
pionship, and British BMX star, Jamie
Bestwick.
Eighteen-year-old Franklin took home
the award for World Sportswoman of the
Year after an outstanding year that saw
her become the first woman to win her
sixth gold medal at the 2013 Swimming
World Championships, beating big names
like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Yelena Isin-
bayeva, Tina Maze, Nadine Angerer and
Serena Williams for the award.
“This is such a dream come true. I have
to thank Laureus for even considering me.
This is really the most incredible moment
of my life and I’m thankful to Laureus, my
parents and of course Malaysia. I’ve never
been to a countrywhere there are somany
smiles!” the talented swimmer enthused
in her acceptance speech.
Sebastian Vettel was crowned asWorld
Sportsman of the Year and saw off the
challenge of other greats like Usain Bolt,
LeBron James, Rafael Nadal, Christiano
Ronaldo and Mo Farah to receive the
prestigious prize.
Vettel, who had been nominated four
times previously without winning, called
the award one of the most special ones he
has ever received. The German racer at
only 26, became the youngest four-time
Formula One world champion last year.
Britain’s 42-year-old BMX sensation
Jamie Bestwick won the Laureus World
Action Sportsperson of the Year Award.
Bestwick is the only athlete in X Games
history to win eight straight gold medals –
twomore than legends such as Tony Hawk
Kuala Lumpur Plays Host
to the Laureus World
Sports Awards 2014
and Shaun White.
“A Laureus Award, something Tony
held in such high regard, was a huge goal
for me. To finally achieve it means so
much. I saw everything that Tony put into
his sport, so I worked hard and I hoped
I could achieve it too. And now I have,”
said the BMX champion.
The award for theWorld Breakthrough
of the Year was given toMarc Marquez for
his achievement in winning the MotoGP
title at the age of 20 years and 266 days,
with six victories along the way. Marquez
alsomade history by becoming the young-
est ever premier class Grand Prix winner
in Austin in April, at just 20 years and 63
days of age.
Other winners of the day included
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich
who picked up theWorld Teamof the Year,
Rafael Nadal for the World Comeback of
the Year award for winning the French
and US Opens, France’s Marie Bochet for
the World Sportsperson of the Year with a
Disability for completing a grand slam of
all five events at the Alpine Skiing World
Championships, and the Afghanistan
cricket team who picked up the Spirit of
Sport award. A special Sport for Good
prize was also given to Magic Bus, a
sports-based community project in India.
From left: Sebastian Vettel, Jamie Bestwick and Missy Franklin
A heartfelt performance by Jamie Foxx