Nigerian-born world record holder Tobi Amusan, has been nominated for the 2023 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award.
Founded under the Patronage of late freedom fighter and ex-South African President Nelson Mandela, Laureus Sport for Good uses sport as a powerful and cost-effective tool to help children and young people overcome violence, discrimination and disadvantage in their lives.
Meanwhile, the world record holder for 100m hurdles joins five other nominees for the prestigious award.
This is the tweet announcing Tobi’s nomination:
✨ Here are the six Nominees for the 2023 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award:
🎾 @carlosalcaraz
🎾 #ElenaRybakina
⚽️ @EnMaroc
⛸ @nathanwchen
🏌️♂️ #ScottieScheffler
👟 #TobiAmusan #Laureus23— Laureus (@LaureusSport) February 20, 2023
The global sporting event honors and celebrates the world’s greatest athletes, the inspirational power of sport and its ability to change lives.
The 25-year-old Tobi, who is the world hurdles champion, alongside five others, made the list released by the organisers on Monday.
The award, launched in 1999, is aimed at honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year under review.
Amusan is the first Nigerian to be nominated for the award.
Other contenders for the prize are Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, the US duo of Scottie Scheffler and Nathan Chen, and the Moroccan national team.
Amusan had a breakthrough year in 2022 when she became the first Nigerian to be crowned world champion after storming to a sensational 12.06 seconds in the 110m hurdles final.
She consolidated her feat with a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games before retaining her Diamond League title to put a brilliant wrap on her season.
In the same vein, for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, Lionel Messi will contest with Kylian Mbappe, Stephen Curry, Rafael Nadal, Max Verstappen, and Mondo Duplantis for the prize.
According to the organizers, the event was first held in 2000, and the annual event honours the greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year and showcases the work of Laureus Sport for Good.
Shortlists for seven categories (Sportswoman, Sportsman, Team, Breakthrough, Comeback, Action and Sport for Good) are created by votes from more than 1,000 sports media from over 70 countries.
The shortlist for World Athlete of the Year with a Disability is provided by the International Paralympic Committee.
The Laureus World Sports Academy (a unique group of sporting legends) votes for the winners in each shortlisted category and The Academy also has the ability to grant discretionary awards, such as the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.
A global public vote determines the winner of the Laureus Sporting Moment of the Year award, which honours one inspiring story that encapsulates the power of sport to inspire and bring people together.
