Coming off two World Records in the 25m pool after winning gold in all four of her events earlier in the year the World Aquatics Championships - Budapest 2022, Katie Ledecky is once again among the nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards.
A five-time nominee, Ledecky is once again a finalist for the World Sportswoman of the Year award.
In 2022, Ledecky swept golds in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events at the World Aquatics Championships for the fourth time in her career. She also led Team USA to gold in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Relay.
Fifth nomination for 🇺🇸 @katieledecky at the @LaureusSport Awards💪
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) March 2, 2023
One of six women nominated for the
Laureus World Sports Awards Sportswoman of the Year 2023! #Swimming pic.twitter.com/TLvHOi4N4a
Ledecky has already picked up the Associated Press (AP) Female Athlete of the Year honours and the Golden Goggle Award as the top female performer of 2022.
Katie Ledecky earns AP's Female Athlete of the Year. This is the Olympian's second time winning the accolade.
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 28, 2022
She was chosen by a panel of 40 sports writers and editors from news outlets across the country. https://t.co/VVJpPttheQ pic.twitter.com/bzehmopFCr
Joining Ledecky among the nominees from the aquatics world is New Zealand Paralympic swimmer Cameron Leslie. A dual-sport athlete who also plays wheelchair rugby, Leslie is in the running for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.
Here’s the Full List of 2023 Nominees:
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Steph Curry (USA) Basketball – led Golden State Warriors to fourth NBA championship in eight years
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics – three world records, two world titles in a dominant 2022
Kylian Mbappé (France) Football – Golden Boot winner at World Cup, led Ligue 1 in goals and assists
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football – captained Argentina to the World Cup; Golden Ball for best player in the tournament
Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis – won two Grand Slams in 2022 to take his career wins to a record 22
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing – defended Formula One World Championship in 2022
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics – won record fifth 100m title at World Championships
Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming – four golds at World Aquatics Championships set a new record
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics – smashed world 400m hurdles record
Alexia Putellas (Spain) Football – a second Ballon d’Or, captained Barcelona to a perfect league win
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing – regained the overall title at the World Cup
Iga Świątek (Poland) Tennis – won in France and USA to become World No.1
LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Argentina Men’s Football Team – World Cup winners after a thrilling final against France
England Women’s Football Team – won the European Championships in front of packed crowds at home
France Men’s Rugby Team – ended a 12-year wait for Six Nations title with a Grand Slam
Golden State Warriors (USA) Basketball – NBA champions for the fourth time in eight years
Oracle Red Bull Racing (Austria) – vanquished Mercedes after eight years to claim the constructors’ title
Real Madrid (Spain) Football – La Liga and Champions League double for the Spanish giants
LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis – won debut Grand Slam title in New York to take World No.1 spot
Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) Athletics – world champion and a new world record over 100m hurdles
Nathan Chen (USA) Figure Skating – Olympic gold with a world record in the short programme
Morocco Men’s Football Team – first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup
Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) Tennis – won Wimbledon from No.17 seed, her first Grand Slam title
Scottie Scheffler (USA) Golf – winner at Augusta and joint second at the US Open
LAUREUS WORLD COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) Motor Cycling – overturned a 91-point deficit to win the MotoGP crown
Christian Eriksen (Denmark) Football – returned to Premier League after cardiac arrest during Euro 2020
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) Athletics – fought back from a shock defeat in 1500m to win the 5000m world title
Klay Thompson (USA) Basketball – won the NBA championship with Golden State Warriors after 30 months out
Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) Cycling – overcame illness to win Tour de France Femme
Tiger Woods (USA) Golf – returned to make the cut at Masters following a career-threatening car crash
LAUREUS SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY AWARD
Diede de Groot (Netherlands) Wheelchair Tennis – completed second calendar-year Grand Slam
Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) Para Athletics – four world records in a three-day meet on home track
Declan Farmer (USA) Para Ice Hockey – third Paralympic gold with USA and the tournament’s top goalscorer
Cameron Leslie (New Zealand) Para Swimming and Wheelchair Rugby – gold in the pool after two years out
Oksana Masters (USA) Para Cross-Country Skiing – double biathlon gold at Winter Paralympics
Jesper Saltvik Pedersen (Norway) Para Alpine Skiing – four golds on the slopes in China
LAUREUS WORLD ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
Justine Dupont (France) Big Wave Surfing – the high-risk pursuit of giant waves continued in 2022
Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing – eighth world title for the Australian hall-of-famer
Eileen Gu (China) Freestyle Skiing – double gold – in big air and halfpipe – for the teenage sensation
Chloe Kim (USA) Snowboarding – defended her Olympic title at halfpipe
Rayssa Leal (Brazil) Skateboarding – gold in Street event at both Summer X Games and World Championships
Filipe Toledo (Brazil) Surfing – debut world title for the Brazilian high-flyer
LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD SHORTLIST
Boxgirls (Kenya) Boxing – empowering young women and challenging stereotypes
High Five (Germany) Action Sports – helping migrant and orphaned children integrate into new communities
Made For More (South Africa) Multi-sport – making sport inclusive for people with disabilities
Slum Soccer (India) Football – supporting homeless young people through sport and education
TeamUp (Global) Movement – children affected by war conflict, improve psychosocial wellbeing through physical activity, developed by War Child, Save the Children and UNICEF the Netherlands.