No swimmers have been nominated for the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards, marking t he first time since 2015 where a swimmer wasn’t nominated for either Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year.
The nominees were weighted more heavily than normal toward winter Olympians after the 2018 Winter Olympics, including 2 skiers (Ester Ledecka, who also snowboards, and American Miakela Shiffrin) nominated for Sportswoman of the Year and the Norway Winter Olympic Team nominated for Team of the Year.
This marks just the 2nd time since the awards were launched in the year 2000 where a swimmer was not nominated for any of the organization’s 7 awards. Swimmers were not nominated for any awards in 2015, either.
The last swimmers to win Laureus Sports Awards in the major individual categories were: Brazilian Daniel Dias, who was named Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability in 2016; Michael Phelps, who won Comeback of the Year in 2017; Rebecca Adlington, who won Breakthrough of the Year in 2009; and Missy Franklin, who won Sportswoman of the Year in 2014. No other swimmer has ever won Sportswoman of the Year, and no swimmer ever has won Sportsman of the Year.
The Refugee Olympic Team, which included 2 swimmers Rami Anis and Yusra Mardini, won a special Sporting Inspiration award in 2016.
Katie Ledecky had been nominated for Sportswoman of the Year in each of the last 3 years, but lost out to Serena Williams twice and Simone Biles once. In spite of breaking a World Record in 2018 in her first race as a professional, she wasn’t nominated for this year’s award.
I don’t watch winter sports but didn’t Ester Ledecká do something no one has ever done and win gold in skiing and snowboarding? Surely that is a clear win? This is like winning a gold in 100 Free and then playing on the gold medal water polo team right? Or is it more like winning open water and pool gold? Or winning diving and swimming gold? If anyone can explain please do!
Hard to choose between Simone Biles and Mikaela Shiffrin for the women’s award. 2 amazing athletes. I pick Mikaela because I’m a big fan of winter sports, it was an olympic year, she’s dominant and honestly I’m in love with her. 😎 I know. She already has a French boyfriend and it’s not me. 😆
I figure this will garner some hate on a swimming site, but I’m okay with these rankings. Even with the quality of performers in swimming right now, I do not see any of them to be more deserving than others on this list, especially due to the fact that the World Championships this year were SCM, and the Winter Olympic athletes often only get attention during their Olympic cycle, much like many Summer Olympic athletes.