USAIN Bolt, the long-reigning king of track and field, and the sport’s new sprint queen Elaine Thompson have been nominated for the 2017 Laureus Sportsman and Sportswoman-of-the-Year Awards respectively.Bolt, 30, created history at the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil in August 2016, when he became the first sprinter in history to win gold in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100m relay at three consecutive Olympic Games. He said he is honoured by the nomination.
“It is always humbling to be nominated for the Laureus Award,” Bolt told SportsMax.tv.
“I’ve been lucky enough to win the Sportsman-of-the-Year Award three times and I’m very pleased to be in with a chance to win another, so thanks to the media who voted for this nomination.”
Also nominated are Real Madrid star forward and winner of the 2016 Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, who also won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Male Player-of-the-Year awards; basketball superstars 2015/2016 NBA champion LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and runner-up Stephen Curry; long-distance king Mo Farah and UK tennis star Sir Andy Murray.
On the women’s side, Elaine Thompson, the IAAF Female Athlete-of-the-Year nominee and the favourite to win Jamaica’s RJR Foundation Sportswoman-of-the-Year Award, won the 100 metres and 200 metres at the Olympic Games in Rio. She also won a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m relay.
The IAAF World Indoor 60-metre bronze medallist and first-time Laureus nominee is in the running for the women’s award against American sprint star Allyson Felix, the Olympic 400m silver medallist, four-time Olympic gymnastics gold medallist Simone Biles, U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky, who also won four gold medals in Rio; UK cyclist and Olympic gold medallist Laura Kenny, and Germany star and world number-one Angelique Kerber.
If Bolt wins the award he will join Roger Federer as a four-time winner of the award.
The eventual winners, as voted for by members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, will be revealed in Monaco on February 14. (Sportsmax.com)