Simone Biles secured her fourth Laureus World Sports award by winning Comeback of the Year, marking her first win in this category. Biles clinched the title after an impressive performance at the world gymnastics championships in October, where she took home four gold medals and one silver. This achievement came after Biles took a break from competition for nearly two years following the Tokyo Games. Despite being nominated for Comeback of the Year in 2022, after returning from the twisties to win Olympic balance beam bronze, Biles was surpassed by British skateboarder Sky Brown that year. With this win, Biles now holds three Sportswoman of the Year awards, the second-most in history behind Serena Williams.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic secured his fifth Sportsman of the Year award, tying the record held by tennis star Roger Federer. Djokovic was nominated alongside pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, soccer players Erling Haaland of Norway and Lionel Messi of Argentina, American sprinter Noah Lyles, and Formula One driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands. In the women’s category, Spain’s Aitana Bonmati was named Sportswoman of the Year, beating out Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, tennis player Iga Swiatek, and track stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, and Faith Kipyegon.
Other notable winners included Spain’s women’s soccer team (Team of the Year), Dutch wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot (Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability), British soccer player Jude Bellingham (Breakthrough of the Year), and Australian skateboarder Arisa Trew (Action Sportsperson of the Year). The winners were selected by a panel of 69 Laureus World Sports Academy members, which includes many legendary athletes. The Laureus Awards were first introduced in 2000.