Golf:US Open winner, Rory McIlroy is one of six nominees in line for the World Breakthrough of the year prize in the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards, while Darren Clarke is one of six vying for the comeback of the year award.
The Holywood golfer, McIlroy, has opposition from Jamaican athlete, Yohan Blake, British athlete Mo Farah, tennis players Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic and China’s Li Na as well as South Africa Paralympic champion sprinter, Oscar Pistorious.
Clarke is one of two golfers in his category, Spain’s Sergio Garcia the other. The Ulsterman who won this year’s British Open for his first Major win also faces competition from French footballer, Eric Abidal, Chinese athlete Liu Xiang and two rugby union teams. New Zealand’s Crusaders and Australia’s Queensland Reds are also in the mix.
The New Zealand rugby team, who won this year’s World Cup, heads the list for team of the year, where the English cricket side is also competing.
Andrew Strauss’ team, which climbed to the top of the Test rankings this year, have been included in the world team of the year category.
Aside from the All Blacks, they also face strong competition from Formula One team Red Bull and Champions League holders Barcelona.
Barcelona are making their fourth appearance in the team of the year section, while their Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi is in the running for sportsman of the year award for a third successive year.
Mo Farah, the European athlete of the year and medal hopeful at London 2012, is also included in the breakthrough category.
Wheelchair racer David Weir features in the world sportsperson of the year with a disability nominations, while BMX maestro Jamie Bestwick is included in the action sports section.
The awards ceremony, which recognises sporting achievement during 2011, will be held at London’s Central Hall, Westminster, on February 6.
Laureus world sports academy chairman Edwin Moses said: “This has been a great year for sport and the academy are going to find it extremely difficult to decide who to vote for as winners.
“We have had several massive performances in 2011 both by individuals and teams and that has been reflected in the nominations.”
World Sportsman of the Year:Usain Bolt (Jamaica) — athletics; Novak Djokovic (Serbia) — tennis; Cadel Evans (Australia) — cycling; Lionel Messi (Argentina) — football; Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) — basketball; Sebastian Vettel (Germany) — motor-racing
World Sportswoman of the Year: Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) — athletics; Maria Hofl-Riesch (Germany) — alpine skiing; Carmelita Jeter (United States) — athletics; Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) — tennis; Homare Sawa (Japan) — football; Yani Tseng (Taiwan) — golf
World Team of the Year:All Blacks (New Zealand) — rugby union; Barcelona (Spain) — football; Dallas Mavericks (United States) — basketball; England men's cricket team; Japan women's football team; Red Bull (Austria) — motor-racing
World Breakthrough of the Year:Yohan Blake (Jamaica) — athletics; Mo Farah (United Kingdom) — athletics; Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) — tennis; Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) — golf; Li Na (China) — tennis; Oscar Pistorius (South Africa) — athletics
World Comeback of the Year: Eric Abidal (France) — football; Darren Clarke (United Kingdom) — golf; Crusaders (New Zealand) — rugby union; Sergio Garcia (Spain) — golf; Liu Xiang (China) — athletics; Queensland Reds (Australia) — rugby union
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability:Daniel Dias (Brazil) — swimming; Terezinha Guilhermina (Brazil) — athletics; Oscar Pistorius (South Africa) — athletics; Esther Vergeer (Holland) — wheelchair tennis; David Weir (United Kingdom) — wheelchair athletics; Irek Zaripov (Russia) — Nordic skiing
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year:Jamie Bestwick (United Kingdom) — BMX; Philip Koster (Germany) — windsurfing; Carissa Moore (United States) — surfing; Travis Rice (United States) — snowboarding; Kelly Slater (United States) — surfing; Shaun White (United States) — skateboarding/snowboarding
