Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielder Aitana Bonmati was named the Sportswoman of the Year, while Serbia’s Novak Djokovic captured the top men’s honour at the Laureus awards ceremony yesterday.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady handed Djokovic his fifth Laureus award after the top-ranked tennis player enjoyed a remarkable 2023. The Serb equalled Margaret Court’s all-time record haul of 24 Grand Slam titles after winning the US Open last September. England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has taken La Liga by storm in his first season with Real Madrid, was named the Breakthrough Player of the Year, the first footballer to win this award.
Biles headed to the Tokyo Games eyeing a record haul of six gold medals but returned home with just a silver and a bronze after suffering a crisis of confidence that saw the American drop out of multiple events due to “the twisties”, a type of mental block where gymnasts are disoriented.