The Springboks – who managed the impressive feat of winning back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles when they lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in France last year – and national captain Siya Kolisi have been rewarded for their achievements yet again by being nominated for top Laureus awards.
The Springboks, who also won the Laureus World Team of the Year awards following their RWC triumphs in 2007 and 2019, have been nominated for the same award yet again.
They will be up against the Manchester City Men’s Football team, the Spain Women’s Football team, the European Ryder Cup Golf team, the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula-1 team, and Germany’s Men’s Basketball team.
Kolisi, who defied the odds by recovering from a serious knee injury he suffered in April to lead the Boks to their second RWC title in a row in October, has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.
Very proud of the #Springboks and @SiyaKolisi on their Laureus nominations - more here: https://t.co/TiXRFvAUkZ 👍#StrongerTogether #Laureus24 pic.twitter.com/PAiVgpI3Sx
— Springboks (@Springboks) February 26, 2024
Kolisi said, “This is such an overwhelming moment for me – to be nominated with the Springboks for Laureus Team of the Year, and also individually for Comeback of the Year. I know just what it means to win a Laureus Award.
“I was lucky enough to be captain of the Springboks in 2019 when we won the World Cup, and as a result the following year we won Laureus Team of the Year. I’m hoping we can win it again, as always it is a formidable group of teams nominated this year, including Manchester City, Spain’s Women’s World Cup winners and Oracle Red Bull Racing.
“It was a close thing whether I would recover from injury in time to play in the Rugby World Cup. I made it, so it’s a very special personal moment for me to receive my nomination.”
MORE SA NOMINEES
Kirsten Neuschȁfer is shortlisted for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, marking her extraordinary achievement of becoming the first female to win a solo round-the-world race via the three Great Capes. Rounding off the South African Nominees is Justice Desk Africa, a group in the running for the Laureus Sport for Good Award.
The Laureus Awards, which honours, recognises and celebrates the world's greatest athletes, the inspirational power of sport and its ability to change lives, will be hosted in Madrid in April.
🤩 Here are the Nominees for the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) February 26, 2024
🏆 Who should the Laureus World Sports Academy Members select as the final Award winners?#Laureus24
Six Nominees have been selected in each category, and the names of the Winners will be revealed on April 22, following a vote by the Laureus World Sports Academy – the world’s ultimate sports jury, made up of 69 of the greatest sporting legends of all time.
SA Rugby President Mark Alexander was proud of the recognition the Springboks and Kolisi received for their brave efforts to become the first country to win the Rugby World Cup four times and wished them luck for their respective awards.
“The Springboks deserve every ounce of recognition they receive for their massive accomplishment in France last year, and we are delighted to see them in line for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award,” said Mr Alexander.
“Their heroics on and off the field were remarkable, especially considering their tough road to the World Cup final.
“But the victory in France was more than just an 80-minute rugby match – it was a triumph for South Africa both in nation building and social cohesion, and we hope that the effects of the Boks’ success will continue to radiate through the sport and transfer to other sporting codes for years to come.”
Alexander also praised Kolisi, who staged a dramatic recovery from a serious knee injury which many thought placed his Rugby World Cup hopes in doubt, thanks to his hard work and intense rehabilitation to lead the team by example on the field.
“Siya’s hard work and determination to recover for the World Cup, and the fact that he managed to achieve this feat beyond all doubts was special,” said Mr Alexander.
“It takes a warrior to do something so remarkable, and that journey made it even more extraordinary to see him lift the cup for the second time in a row.
“We are extremely proud of the Springboks and Siya, and we wish them luck for the awards ceremony.”
The shortlist for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, and Sportsman of the Year, contain not only the outstanding athletes of 2023, but some of the greatest of all time.
🎙️ The Nominees for the 2024 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award are:
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) February 26, 2024
🎾 @DjokerNole
🏃♂️ @mondohoss600
⚽️ @ErlingHaaland
👟 @LylesNoah
⚽️ #LeoMessi
🏎 @Max33Verstappen#Laureus24
Last year’s winner, Lionel Messi, is nominated once more in the latter category after an eighth Ballon d'Or, alongside sportsmen including Novak Djokovic, who won three Grand Slams in 2023, Max Verstappen after a third straight world championship in Formula One and Noah Lyles, world champion over 100 and 200 metres, plus the 4x100 metre relay.
In the Sportswoman of the Year category, the Nominees include tennis’s World No 1 Iga Świątek, Aitana Bonmatí, the star of Spain’s Fifa World Cup win, and Mikaela Shiffrin, who became the all-time leader in World Cup wins in alpine skiing.
✨ Here are the exceptional sportswomen nominated for the 2024 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award:
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) February 26, 2024
⚽️ @AitanaBonmati
👟 @sherickajacko
👟 @Kipyegon_Faith
👟 @itsshacarri
🎿 @MikaelaShiffrin
🎾 @iga_swiatek#Laureus24
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis – won three Grand Slams, finishing 2023 with a record-equalling 24
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics – twice improved his own world pole vault record and won a second world title
Erling Haaland (Norway) Football – his 52 goals spearheaded Manchester City’s treble season
Noah Lyles (USA) Athletics – won the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football – a record eighth Ballon d’Or and a record 44th trophy win
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing – completed a hat-trick of Formula One World Championships
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) Football – won the World Cup, Champions League and Liga F – plus Ballon d'Or Féminin.
Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) Athletics – won 200 metre gold at the World Championships
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Athletics – first woman to win 1,500 and 5,000 metre double at the World Championships
Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) Athletics – golds in 100 and 4 x 100 metre relay
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing – became the all-time leader in World Cup wins
Iga Świątek (Poland) Tennis – won in France and regained World No.1 spot at WTA Finals
LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
European Ryder Cup Team – Golf – regained trophy with dominant display in Rome
Germany Men’s Basketball Team – FIBA World Cup champions after shock wins over USA and Serbia
Manchester City (UK) Football – treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League
Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One Team (Austria) – second consecutive constructors’ title after winning all but one race
Springboks (South Africa) Rugby – winners of a record fourth World Cup
Spain Women’s Football Team – World Cup winners after a game-changing tournament in Australia
LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Jude Bellingham (UK) Football – winner of Golden Boy Award for Real Madrid’s new star
Linda Caicedo (Colombia) Football – played in under-17, under-20 and senior World Cup in the same year
Coco Gauff (USA) Tennis – maiden Grand Slam title came in US Open, aged 19
Qin Haiyang (China) Swimming – swept the breaststroke events (50, 100 & 200 metres) at World Championships
Josh Kerr (UK) Athletics – stunned favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win 1,500 metre world title
Salma Paralluelo (Spain) Football – FIFA Young Player Award winner for best young footballer at the World Cup
LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics – after a two-year absence, returned to win four World Championship golds
Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast) Football – recovered from cancer diagnosis to return for Borussia Dortmund
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (UK) Athletics – won heptathlon gold at World Championships after multiple injuries
Siya Kolisi (South Africa) Rugby – came back from ACL tear to lead his country to World Cup glory
Jamal Murray (Canada) Basketball – after 18 months out, won NBA Championship with Denver
Markéta Vondroušová (Czech Republic) Tennis – won Wimbledon as an unseeded player after a series of injuries
LAUREUS SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY AWARD
Simone Barlaam (Italy) Para Swimming – six golds at the Para Swimming World Championships
Danylo Chufarov (Ukraine) Para Swimming – two world records, three golds at the Para Swimming World Championships
Diede de Groot (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis – third successive calendar Grand Slam in wheelchair tennis
Luca Ekler (Hungary) Para Athletics – golds in 200 and 400 metres, plus long jump, at the Para Athletics World Championships
Nicole Murray (New Zealand) Para Cycling – a champion on the road and the track in 2023
Markus Rehm (Germany) Para Athletics – a sixth world title and a 14th world record for the long jumper
LAUREUS WORLD ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
Rayssa Leal (Brazil) Skateboarding – street golds at three major championships in 2023
Caroline Marks (USA) Surfing – first world title for emerging superstar
Kirsten Neuschȁfer (South Africa) Sailing – first woman to win a solo round-the-world race via three great capes
Bethany Shriever (UK) BMX – regained her world title in Glasgow
Filipe Toledo (Brazil) Surfing – defended his world title in California
Arisa Trew (Australia) Skateboarding – 13-year-old became first skateboarder to land 720 in competition
LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD
Programmes nominated by a specialist selection panel; Laureus Academy select the winner
Bola Pra Frente (Brazil) Multi-sport x Employability – using sport and education to increase opportunities for youth
Dancing Grounds (USA) Dancing x Social Integration – advocating for social justice through dance
Fundación Rafa Nadal (Spain) Tennis x Education – using sport in Mallorca and India to empower young people
ISF Cambodia Football x Education – breaking the cycle of poverty through the power of football
Justice Desk Africa (South Africa) Multi-sport x Human Rights – empowering youth to defend their human rights through sport
Obiettivo Napoli (Italy) Multi-sport x Inclusion – developing social skills in young people experiencing exclusion and hardship