A little more than 24 hours have passed since Carlos Alcaraz won the final of the Masters in Madrid and the Murcian was once again recognized for his efforts tonight in Paris. The tennis player has won the Laureus Award for revelation athlete of the year after winning the last US Open and becoming the youngest number one in the world. Alcaraz’s triumph has been slightly overshadowed on the night that Leo Messi has been recognized twice, by himself, as the best athlete and with the Argentine team, as the best team.
The Laureus Awards are the most important and prestigious awards in the world of sports. Every year since 2012 they recognize athletes of all modalities among eight categories. In this edition, Alcaraz has prevailed over the other nominees in the category, among which were also the Moroccan soccer team, the first African team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, and the tennis player Elena Rybakina, winner of Wimbledon in 2022 and finalist in the last Australian Open.
Leo Messi has undoubtedly been the big winner of the night. The Argentine, world champion in Qatar and winner of The Best, has taken the award ahead of his teammate, Kylian Mbappé, Rafa Nadal, or Max Verstappen, double Formula 1 World Cup champion. The PSG footballer did not He has only collected his second award for best sportsman, after winning in 2020, but that year he shared it with Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
Messi’s celebration did not end there, as he also won the Laureus Award for best team with the Argentine team. The South American team lifted their third World Cup in Qatar after beating France in one of the best finals on record. “For us the World Cup was an unforgettable adventure. I cannot explain what it felt like to return to Argentina and see what our victory had meant to the people. It is an experience that I will never forget”, assured Messi. Argentina took the award ahead of Real Madrid, one of the Spanish representatives.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was the winner in the women’s category. The 36-year-old Jamaican sprinter has eight Olympic medals and ten world championships. The athlete has taken the Laureus for her performance at the Eugene World Athletics Championships, where she took gold in the 100m, and two silvers in the 200m and 4x100m. Fraser-Pryce has prevailed at the gala other athletes such as Alexia Putellas, winner of the Ballon d’Or, the skier Mikaela Shiffrin, the tennis player Iga Swiatek, the record-holding swimmer Katie Ledecky and the athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Footballer Christian Eriksen was recognized with the most outstanding comeback award after his return to the highest level after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Euro 2021. Catherine Debrunner took the award for best athlete with a disability after winning the Berlin marathon in 2022. Eileen Gu, Olympic freestyle ski champion, won the best action athlete category.
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