Cycling star Pogačar nominated for Laureus World Sports Award
London - Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar has been nominated for the 2021 Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year. The list of nominees for the 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards, prestigious accolades in the sports world, was unveiled on Wednesday.
This year's Laureus winners will be announced in a virtual format in May. Due to the pandemic, the awards will be presented individually at specific locations instead of a gala event.
Pogačar's rivals for the Breakthrough of the Year award are Spanish football star Ansu Fati, his compatriot Grand Prix motorcycle racer Joan Mir, Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek, Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem and American football quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"After a year full of challenges, we are more determined than ever to ensure that Laureus honours the men and women who made such an effort to return to sport, in many cases in a very different environment and without spectators," said Sean Fitzpatrick, chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, adding that the athletes served as an inspiration in these difficult times.
Apart from standard Laureus awards for most memorable performances in the sports world in 2020, this year will also see special accolades recognising athletes' advocacy and their efforts to use their influential platforms to make the world a better place.
Pogačar was recently presented the Bloudek Prize, Slovenia's top sports award. His Tour de France victory at just 22 years of age catapulted him among the world's biggest cycling stars overnight. He currently ranks second in the UCI rankings, after compatriot Primož Roglič.