Eileen Gu hails ‘really special’ win after being named action sportsperson of the year at Laureus World Sports Awards
- China’s double-Olympic gold medallist beats out likes of Chloe Kim and Rayssa Leal at prestigious awards in Paris
- Lionel Messi named top sportsman of the year, while sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce triumphs in sportswoman category
Eileen Gu added another piece of silverware to her already impressive collection at the Laureus World Sports Awards, and said it was “a huge honour” to be recognised for her achievements.
The 19-year-old was crowned action sportsperson of the year at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Monday night, where she rubbed shoulders with the world’s best athletes, including Lionel Messi, who was named sportsman of the year, and sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who topped the sportswoman category.
After becoming the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics, Gu ended the World Cup season with a perfect record in women’s half-pipe, and was the first in her sport to win four consecutive events.
The two golds and one silver she claimed at the Beijing Winter Games helped the US-born teenager secure the Laureus award, which was voted on by 71 members of the organisation’s Sports Academy, who are some of the greatest sports men and women from the past 50 years.
“Something really beautiful about it, is that it’s an international panel and one that’s comprised of athletes of different sports,” Gu said. “Obviously [they are] all very successful in their own right, but who really do recognise not only the hard work but also the discipline, the effort and what it takes to perform under pressure in the moment that counts.
“I think that is something that only athletes can really empathise with and understand on a personal level, and being recognised by a panel who knows what that means is very meaningful to me.”
Gu is the first free-skier to win a Laureus award and called the achievement “really special”, adding she hoped it would not be the last time she was honoured at the prestigious event.
“It is such an honour to be here,” she said. “I thank Laureus for recognising me and hopefully [you] can see more of me in the future.”
After a year in which the best footballer of his generation finally added the World Cup to his résumé, Messi took to the stage twice: to receive the Laureus World Team of the Year Award on behalf of the Argentina men’s football team, and to claim his second Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, after sharing that prize with Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
This time there was no doubt as to who would win, even though the likes of Rafael Nadal, Max Verstappen, Kylian Mbappe, Steph Curry and Mondo Duplantis were also nominated.
“I was looking at the names of the incredible legends that won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award before me: [Michael] Schumacher, [Tiger] Woods, Nadal, [Roger] Federer, [Usain] Bolt, Hamilton, [Novak] Djokovic … it really sunk in what unbelievable company I’m in and what a unique honour this is,” Messi said.
“And I am even happier that the team I was a part of at the World Cup have also been recognised by the Laureus Academy tonight. The World Cup was an unforgettable adventure for us, and I can’t describe how it felt to return to Argentina and see what our victory had given to the people of my country. It was an experience I can never forget and I want to thank the Academy for honouring our achievement.”
If the Paris St Germain star is one of greatest footballers of all time, then Fraser-Pryce can rightly be regarded as one of the greatest female sprinters in history.
Fraser-Pryce won her fifth World Championship gold last year, and her win at the age of 35 made her the oldest sprinter to become world champion. She has won more global 100 metres titles than any other sprinter in history, including Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012.
Nominated six times for the Laureus award, Fraser-Pryce said she was “thrilled” to finally win after being listed alongside the likes of Katie Ledecky, Iga Swiatek and Mikaela Shiffrin.
“To finally hold the Laureus statuette in my hands is one of the greatest honours of my career,” she said.
Carlos Alcaraz’s victory at the 2022 US Open and rise to the world No 1 spot saw him collect the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen was the recipient of the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award after recovering from cardiac arrest to return to Premier League football with Brentford and then Manchester United.
The Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability Award was presented to Catherine Debrunner, who started 2022 as an elite force in wheelchair track sprinting and ended it as the benchmark in the marathon. Debrunner set four world records at her home event in Nottwil, Switzerland, in May – at T53 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m.
Winners’ list
Sportsman of the Year: Lionel Messi
Sportswoman of the Year: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Team of the Year: Argentina Men’s Football Team
Breakthrough of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz
Comeback of the Year: Christian Eriksen
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Catherine Debrunner
Action Sportsperson of the Year: Eileen Gu
Laureus Sport for Good: TeamUp
