The Laureus Awards recognise the world’s greatest athletes and celebrate excellence and the inspirational power of sport. A panel of top sports media professionals selects the nominees, who represent the best international athletes and performances across seven categories.

Several aquatics stars have been nominated for the 2025 awards.

Leon Marchand (France) | World Sportsman of the Year Nominee

At just 22 years old, Léon Marchand became the face of the Paris Olympics, securing four gold medals—the first French Olympian to achieve this feat. His remarkable performance included an unprecedented double: winning two individual gold medals on the same day—the 200m butterfly followed by the 200m breaststroke, with less than two hours between finals.

Marchand's Paris 2024 Olympic gold medals:
🏅 Gold – 200m Butterfly
🏅 Gold – 200m Breaststroke
🏅 Gold – 200m Individual Medley
🏅 Gold – 400m Individual Medley

Following his historic Olympic campaign, Marchand was given the prestigious honour of extinguishing the Olympic flame at the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony.

Caeleb Dressel (United States) | World Comeback Athlete of the Year Nominee

A dominant force at Tokyo 2020, where he won five Olympic gold medals, Caeleb Dressel faced a major setback in 2022, withdrawing mid-competition from the World Championships due to mental health struggles. He took an eight-month break from swimming, citing panic attacks and the weight of expectations.

In 2024, Dressel made a remarkable return, qualifying for his third Olympics in Paris, where he won:
🏅 Gold – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
🏅 Gold – 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay
🥈 Silver – 4x100m Medley Relay

 Dressel's nine career Olympic gold medals in men's swimming are second only to Michael Phelps.

Ariarne Titmus (Australia) | World Comeback Athlete of the Year Nominee

After winning two Olympic golds in Tokyo 2020, Ariarne Titmus faced a life-changing challenge in September 2023 when she was diagnosed with an ovarian tumour. Following successful surgery, she made a stunning return in Paris 2024, defending her 400m freestyle title—a feat not accomplished by any woman in nearly a century.

Titmus also won:
🏅 Gold – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
🥈 Silver – 200m Freestyle
🥉 Bronze – 800m Freestyle

At the Australian Swimming Trials in June, she set a World Record in the 200m Freestyle with a time of 1:52.23.

Summer McIntosh (Canada) | Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Nominee

At just 17 years old, Summer McIntosh became the first Canadian woman to win multiple individual gold medals at a Summer Olympics, claiming:
🏅 Gold – 200m Butterfly
🏅 Gold – 200m Individual Medley
🏅 Gold – 400m Individual Medley
🥈 Silver – 400m Freestyle

Her historic performance led Time Magazine to dub Paris 2024 as the "Summer of Summer."

McIntosh followed up with another dominant showing at the 2024 World Swimming Championships – Budapest, winning three gold medals and earning the title of World Aquatics Female Swimmer of the Year.

She first gained international attention at just 14 years old, as the youngest member of the 2020 Canadian Olympic team, finishing fourth in the 400m freestyle.

Laureus Awards | 21 April in Madrid

The 25th edition of the Laureus World Sports Awards will be held on 21 April 2025 in Madrid, celebrating a quarter-century of sporting excellence. Established in 2000, the awards recognise elite performances while supporting the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which operates in over 40 countries.