BILES LEADS US NOMINEES FOR 2025 LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS AFTER HISTORIC PERFORMANCE IN PARIS

• Most decorated gymnast of all-time, Simone Biles, nominated for Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award
• American icon joined on shortlist by compatriot Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
• Chloe Kim and Caroline Marks nominated for Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
• USA Basketball Men's Team and Boston Celtics shortlisted for Laureus World Team of the Year
• Paralympian Matt Stutzman, Caeleb Dressel also among Nominees for 25^th anniversary edition of most prestigious Awards in sports
• Grassroots project Figure Skating Harlem nominated for Laureus Sport for Good Award
• Winners to be announced at Awards Show in Madrid on April 21
• For more information and full list of Nominees, click here

MADRID, March 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A historic year for US sport has been recognised with nine nominations for the prestigious 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards, as voted for by the world's sports media.

The ceremony – marking the Awards' 25th anniversary – will take place in Madrid on April 21 and celebrate the greatest athletic achievements of 2024, featuring heroes from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, basketball champions, and a host of world-record breakers.

Gymnast Simone Biles is nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, while the Boston Celtics and the USA Basketball Men's National Team are shortlisted for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award. Chloe Kim and Caroline Marks are both in contention for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, and Caeleb Dressel has a spot on the shortlist for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. Matt Stutzman's incredible gold at the Paris Paralympics sees him nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award, while Figure Skating Harlem completes the collection of US Nominees, as one of six inspirational grassroots projects shortlisted for the Laureus Sport for Good Award.

It will be up to the 69 sporting icons of the Laureus World Sports Academy to cast their votes and determine who will add their names to the exclusive list of those to receive a coveted Laureus Statuette.

Simone Biles called the Paris Games her 'redemption tour' following her decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics and take an extended break from competition, and the 27-year-old was back to her brilliant best in the French capital, winning four medals to become the most decorated gymnast in history.

Laureus World Sports Academy Member Nadia Comăneci said: "Simone Biles exemplifies everything that is required to be an elite athlete: heart, desire, and world-class talent. Her journey from withdrawing from the Tokyo Games to winning four medals in Paris will inspire many athletes who endure both physical and mental challenges in their pursuit of greatness. Being nominated for a Laureus World Sports Award is one of the highest honours in sport, and Simone Biles is thoroughly deserving of her place on that distinguished list."

She is nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award – a title she has won three times – alongside compatriot Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, whose world record-breaking run in the 400 metre hurdles was one of the standout moments of the Games.

Reflecting on her nomination, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said: "My two Olympic golds tell the story of the individual and the collective. My 400m hurdles gold may seem like an individual achievement, but also belongs to everyone who has supported me on my journey, including my Team USA teammates. Then, to stand on the podium with some of those teammates as part of the gold-medal winning 400m relay team made my Olympic experience even more special. And now, as a result of those successes, I have the honour of standing beside my fellow Nominees for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, whose accomplishments are a source of ongoing inspiration for me."

The shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award is a who's who of sporting royalty, including France's homegrown Olympic hero Léon Marchand, tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, pole vaulting legend Mondo Duplantis, all-conquering Formula One champion Max Verstappen, and Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar.

The USA Basketball Men's National Team continue to set the standard on the Olympic stage after overcoming a talented French outfit – and fervent home crowd – in the final to collect their seventh consecutive gold medal, and they are nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award. That squad contained three players from the Boston Celtics side which claimed a record 18th NBA championship title, and they too are shortlisted. McLaren Formula One Team are also included after ending a 26-year wait to become the Formula One World Constructors champions.

Chloe Kim made her long-awaited return to action in 2024, and it was if she had never been away, winning her seventh X Games gold on home soil. The Californian is a two-time winner of the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award and one of two US athletes shortlisted, with 22-year-old surfer Caroline Marks in the mix after taming the ferocious Tahitian waves to bring home a first Olympic gold. Last year's winner, Arisa Trew, who became Australia's youngest-ever Olympic champion aged just 14, is also nominated.

The Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award is made up of athletes whose performances lit up the Paris Paralympic Games. History was made by American Matt Stutzman after he became the first-ever armless para-archery champion, scoring 149 – one point short of perfection – on his final Games appearance. He is joined by wheelchair tennis champion Tokito Oda and Catherine Debrunner, who won five Paralympic golds as well as the Berlin and London Marathons.

Teenager Lamine Yamal was instrumental to Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, and his incredible impact has been acknowledged with a place on the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award shortlist, where he is joined by the likes of Canadian Summer McIntosh and NBA phenomenon Victor Wembanyama.

An innate ability to overcome extreme adversity is the common thread running between those nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, and few typify that quality more than Caeleb Dressel. The swimmer previously admitted to struggling under the weight of expectation but demonstrated his resolve to win two golds in Paris and cap a sensational comeback. Ski racer Lara Gut-Behrami and fellow Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus are also shortlisted.

In addition to the athlete awards, each year the Laureus Sport for Good Award celebrates the work carried out by a community-based organisation which has helped to transform the lives of children and young people through the power of sport.

At Figure Skating Harlem – which is part of the Laureus Sport for Good Cities initiative – girls in the New York neighbourhood develop fitness and skating technique alongside an educational curriculum that improves reading, writing, financial literacy and mathematics. Also featured on the shortlist are Lesotho-based football charity Kick4life and Kind Surf, a project which supports young people in Spain at risk of social exclusion.

The full list of Nominees is:

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis - Won the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympic silver medal
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics - retained Olympic pole vault title; has now broken world record 10 times
Léon Marchand (France) Swimming - won four individual gold medals at the Paris Olympics
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) Cycling - 25 wins, including Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and World Championship
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing - won a fourth successive Formula One World Championship

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics - impressive return to Olympic stage with three golds and a silver in Paris
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) Football - second straight Ballon d'Or Feminin as Barcelona won Champions League, Liga F and Copa de la Reina
Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) Athletics - bronze in 5,000m and 10,000m plus marathon gold in Paris
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Athletics - became the only three-time Olympic champion in 1,500 metres in Paris
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics - Olympic golds in 400m hurdles and 4 x 400m relay
Aryna Sabalenka Tennis - won Australian and US Opens; became World No.1 in singles and doubles

LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
FC Barcelona Women's Team (Spain) Football - won Champions League, Liga F and the Copa de la Reina
Boston Celtics (USA) Basketball - claimed a record 18th NBA title, one more than their old rivals LA Lakers
McLaren Formula One Team (UK) Formula One - secured their first World Constructors' Championship since 1998
Real Madrid (Spain) Football - won 15th Champions League/European Cup, La Liga and Supercopa de España
Spain Men's Football Team - became most successful team in European Championship history with fourth win
USA Basketball Men's National Team - claimed USA's fifth straight Olympic gold to emulate the famous Dream Team

LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Julien Alfred (St Lucia) Athletics - won 100m in debut Olympics to take home St Lucia's first-ever Olympic gold
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) Football - Bundesliga champions for first time in their 120-year history after unbeaten season
Summer McIntosh (Canada) Swimming - won three individual golds and a silver in Paris
Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) Athletics - won 200m gold medal, Botswana's first-ever Olympic gold medal
Victor Wembanyama (France) Basketball - San Antonio Spurs centre won the NBA Rookie of the Year
Lamine Yamal (Spain) Football - named Best Young Player as Spain won the European Championships

LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) Gymnastics - battling back from injury, she won Olympic gold, two silvers and bronze
Caeleb Dressel (USA) Swimming - overcame mental health issues to win two relay golds and a silver in Paris
Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland) Alpine Skiing - won overall World Cup title for first time since 2015/16 season
Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling - returned from serious injury to win three Grand Prix in 2024
Rishabh Pant (India) Cricket - 629 days after a life-threatening car crash, returned to play for India Test team
Ariarne Titmus (Australia) Swimming - defended her Olympic 400m freestyle title less than year after being diagnosed with a tumour

LAUREUS WORLD ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
Yuto Horigome (Japan) Skateboarding - landed best trick of street competition to secure back-to-back Olympic golds
Chloe Kim (USA) Snowboarding - won her seventh X-Games superpipe gold medal
Caroline Marks (USA) Surfing - 22-year-old won the Olympic surfing gold in Tahiti
Aleksandra Miroslaw (Poland) Speed Climbing - set two world records on her way to Paris gold
Tom Pidcock (UK) Mountain Biking - won back-to-back Olympic titles in the cyclo-cross discipline
Arisa Trew (Australia) Skateboarding - became Australia's youngest-ever Olympic champion, aged 14

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY AWARD
Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) Athletics - won five gold medals and a silver at the Paris Paralympics
Teresa Perales (Spain) Swimming - won bronze in Paris, to take her Paralympic medal haul to 28
Tokito Oda (Japan) Wheelchair Tennis - came from match point down to become youngest-ever Paralympic singles winner
Matt Stutzman (USA) Archery - became first-ever armless para-archery champion to win Olympic gold
Jiang Yuyan (China) Swimming - most-decorated athlete at Paralympics, she won seven golds from seven events
Qu Zimo (China) Wheelchair Badminton - won three golds at World Championship, then two more in Paris

LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD  
Programmes nominated by a specialist selection panel; Laureus Academy select the winner 
Kick4life (Lesotho) Football x Gender Equity - uses football to reach at-risk children and young people
Figure Skating in Harlem (USA) Figure Skating x Racial Equity - help girls transform their lives through figure skating
Kind Surf (Spain) Surfing x Inclusion - uses surf therapy to support young people at risk of social exclusion due to intellectual disabilities
Liberi Nantes (Italy) Football x Social Inclusion – offers wide range of sporting activities for refugees and political asylum seekers
Paris Basket 18 (France) Basketball x Gender Equity - focuses on development of women's sport, and also promotes social integration
Street League (UK) Multi-sport x Employability - uses the power of sport to help young people aged 14-30 prepare for employment and training opportunities

Website: www.laureus.com
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