BY SEAN FITZPATRICK
Laureus Academy Member and legendary All Blacks captain
Wales see red
“There is no other context quite like this one; it’s hard to understand without living it.”
These are the words of Karen Doubilet as she told the Laureus blog about the remarkable PeacePlayers International project in the Middle East (PPI-ME). Read more
With four races still remaining in this year’s Formula One season, all it took was third place at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix for Sebastian Vettel to clinch the world championship once again.
In doing so, he becomes the youngest ever driver to win back to back world titles.
Sebastian Vettel
But despite the fact that this and last season have ended with the same result, Vettel’s route to victory has been markedly more impressive this term.
After all, last season the top four drivers finished within a very cozy 16 points of each other.
In contrast, Vettel currently sits a remarkable 114 points ahead of second place Jenson Button.
Vettel has won nine of the 15 races so far this season to build such a monumental lead over his rivals, and he started from the front of the grid on 12 occasions.
In fact, the only driver to start from pole as well as Vettel is his Red Bull team mate, Mark Webber.
With such consistant domination throughout the season, and having been nominated last year, Vettel must be a top contender for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award next year. If he were to be successful he would be only the second Formula 1 driver to be victorious since the legendary Michael Schumacher, who is a two-time Laureus Sportsman of the Year.
However, an F1 driver is only ever as good as the car he’s racing. So how much does Vettel’s success owe to the Red Bull car itself? Or, for that matter, to the Red Bull team itself?
And whose is the greatest achievement: the Sportsman Sebastian Vettel or the Red Bull Racing team behind him? Surely a contender themselves for a Laureus Award in the Team of the Year category.
Let us know your thoughts on Vettel’s season and head over to our facebook page to take part in our poll.
The sight of a group of kids enjoying some food in the sun, listening to music and playing a bit of basketball isn’t such an unusual sight.
But when you realise that the group consists of 100 kids from both Greek-Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, playing together in the Cypriot Buffer Zone between the North and South of the island, you know you are witnessing something truly special.
This all took place at last weekend’s Peace Day Basketball Tournament organised by the fantastic Laureus-supported community sports project PeacePlayers International – Cyprus.
Kids from both Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus played together in mixed teams
At the Berlin Marathon last weekend, Patrick Makau, the 26 year old Kenyan long distance runner, achieved two things most marathon runners can only dream of doing in an entire career.
Patrick Makau celebrates his new marathon world record
One of those things was beating the legendary athlete Haile Gebrselassie in a top flight marathon; the other was breaking Gebrselaisse’s own world record in doing so.
This was Makau’s second consecutive Berlin Marathon victory and sets a new world record time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 38 seconds, a full 21 seconds faster than Gebrselaisse’s previous world record.
Makau’s breakthrough to the very top flight of marathon racing this year is clear when you consider his previous best was over a minute slower than his Berlin performance at 2 hours 4 minutes and 48 seconds.
How do you think Makau’s achievement ranks with some of the other breakthrough sports stars this year? Are there any other’s that you think should be up for next year’s Breakthrough of the Year?
Let us know your suggestions in the box below and on Twitter @LaureusSport
