[ODDS and EVENS] Laureus World Sports Awards a Celebration of Great Achievements

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For sports fans, debating who deserves to win awards is a fun pastime. It can also spark heated discussions, generating greater interest in athletes and teams, leagues and competitions.

When an awards banquet reaches its quarter century anniversary, a significant amount of history has already been celebrated and chronicled. Such is the case with the Laureus World Sports Awards, which was first staged in May 2000 in Monte Carlo. 

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is preparing for the 2025 extravaganza ― to be held April 21 in Madrid. It has recently unveiled a compelling collection of nominees, highlighting successes in 2024.

This year's categories:

• Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (for brevity I've dropped "Laureus World" from the official title of the others), 
• Sportswoman of the Year,
• Team of the Year, 
• Action Sportsperson of the Year, 
• Comeback of the Year, 
• Breakthrough of the Year, 
• Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, and 
• Sport for Good Award.

Four-time Grand Slam singles winner Naomi Osaka was the first Japanese recipient of a Laureus award. The tennis player received the 2019 World Breakthrough of the Year accolade. And two years later, she collected the World Sportswoman of the Year honor. 

Horigome Among the Action Sportsperson of the Year Nominees

In 2021, Yuto Horigome captured the gold medal at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in the first Olympic men's street skateboarding competition. His repeat triumph in the increasingly popular spectacle at the Paris Olympics in July 2024 earned Horigome a special place in the annals of the sport.

Horigome claimed his second gold with a mesmerizing display of poise under pressure. He also exhibited an awesome command of his vast arsenal of skateboard tricks ― and had a flair for the dramatic, too.

"Horigome scored a nearly perfect 97.08 points on his fifth and final trick Monday to pass Americans Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston and claim the gold medal," SportsLook reported.

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.