Lealiifano, Japan and the Springboks join the big-name nominees at Laureus World Sports Awards

The 20th annual Laureus World Sports Awards will take place on Monday in Berlin, with former Wallabies playmaker Christian Lealiifano, Japan and the Springboks in the hunt.

 

 

 

Lealiifano has been nominated for comeback of the year after he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2016 and returned to Wallabies to feature in the Rugby World Cup.

 

 

While the Springboks have been nominated for the team of the year after winning the Rugby World Cup in Japan, while the hosts have been nominated for Breakthrough of the year after they reached the quarter final of the World Cup.

 

 

 

 

They join the likes of Lionel Messi and Liverpool who are among the front-runners for prizes at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.

 

 

The event will take place at the Verti Music Hall in Berlin on Monday. Below is a complete list of the awards up for grabs and the athletes nominated.

Sportsman of the Year

Eliud Kipchoge – Athletics
Lewis Hamilton – Formula One
Lionel Messi – Football
Marc Marquez – MotoGP
Rafael Nadal – Tennis
Tiger Woods – Golf

Sportswoman of the Year

Allyson Felix – Athletics
Megan Rapinoe – Football
Mikaela Shiffrin – Skiing
Naomi Osaka – Tennis
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – Athletics
Simone Biles – Gymnastics

Team of the Year

Liverpool – Football
Mercedes-AMG – Formula One
South Africa – Rugby Union
Spain – Basketball
Toronto Raptors – Basketball
United States Women – Football

Breakthrough of the Year

Andy Ruiz – Boxing
Bianca Andreescu – Tennis
Coco Gauff – Tennis
Egan Bernal – Cycling
Japan – Rugby Union
Regan Smith – Swimming

Comeback of the Year

Andy Murray – Tennis
Christian Lealiifano – Rugby Union
Kawhi Leonard – Basketball
Liverpool – Football
Nathan Adrian – Swimming

Sophia Florsch – Formula Three

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability

Alice Tai – Swimming
Diede de Groot – Wheelchair Tennis
Jetze Plat – Triathlon
Manuela Schar – Wheelchair Racing
Oksana Masters – Cross Country Skiing
Omara Durand – Athletics

Action Sportsperson of the year

Carissa Moore – Surfing
Chloe Kim – Snowboarding
Italo Ferreira – Surfing
Mark McMorris – Snowboarding
Nyjah Huston – Skateboarding
Rayssa Leal – Skateboarding