Neeraj Chopra nominated for Laureus Breakthrough of the Year award 2022
Neeraj Chopra will compete with Emma Raducanu, Daniil Medvedev, Pedri, Yulimar Rojas and Ariarne Titmus for the honour.
India’s Neeraj Chopra was nominated for the prestigious ‘Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year’ award 2022 for his historic gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra is only the third Indian - after wrestler Vinesh Phogat and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar - to be nominated for a Laureus award.
The 24-year-old Neeraj Chopra won the men’s javelin throw gold at Tokyo 2020 with a throw of 87.58m, becoming India’s first Olympic medallist in athletics and only the second individual Indian Olympic gold-medallist.
“I’m delighted to be nominated for this Laureus Award and it's a great honour for me to be recognised in the wider sporting world for what I achieved in Tokyo,” Neeraj Chopra said after his nomination.
“I feel privileged to be able to represent my country and win India medals at the global stage, and now to have this recognition from Laureus and be considered alongside such exceptional athletes is a really special feeling,” he added.
Neeraj Chopra’s fellow nominees for the award are tennis players Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev, footballer Pedri, triple jumper Yulimar Rojas and swimmer Ariarne Titmus.
Emma Raducanu became the first player to win a Grand Slam after coming through the qualifiers at the US Open 2021. Daniil Medvedev, meanwhile, beat Novak Djokovic to win his first Grand Slam in the men’s singles category at the same event.
Yulimar Rojas broke a 26-year-old triple jump world record to win gold at Tokyo 2020 and Ariarne Titmus won two golds, one silver and one bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.
Pedri, who plays for FC Barcelona, was recognised as the ‘Best Young Player’ in the Ballon D’Or awards.
The nominees were selected by a panel of more than 1300 journalists and broadcasters across the world. The winners will be selected by a vote by the Laureus World Sports Academy - comprising 71 sporting legends - and announced in a virtual ceremony in April.
Sachin Tendulkar won the ‘Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020’ award after being carried around by his teammates after winning the 2011 ICC World Cup in India.
Vinesh Phogat, meanwhile, was nominated for the Laureus World Sporting Comeback award in 2019 for her incredible resurgence after suffering a horrific knee injury at the Rio Olympics.
Started in 1999, the Laureus World Sports Awards is an annual ceremony which rewards sporting excellence. There are different categories.
If he wins, Neeraj Chopra could join a select panel of sportspersons, which include legends like Rafael Nadal, Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez, who have all won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award over the years.