The recent announcement of Kelly Slater as Laureus World Action Sportperson of the Year was the last of this year’s Awards presentations. So here’s our final summary of the 2009 winners:
Sportsman of the Year - Usain Bolt
Sportswoman of the Year - Yelena Isinbayeva
Breakthrough of the Year - Rebecca Adlington
Sportsperson with a Disability - Daniel Dias
Comeback of the Year - Vitali Klitschko
Team of the Year – China Olympic Team
Action Sportsperson of the Year - Kelly Slater
From now on we’ll be having a regular look at the contenders for next year’s Awards. Feel free to give us your own selections…
On Sunday in LA, the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award went for the second time in three years to legendary American surfer Kelly Slater, who won a record ninth world title at the age of 37.
At 37, legendary surfing master Kelly Slater completed his most dominant year yet. Claiming an unprecedented ninth world title in 2008, Slater took first in six of the 10 contests he entered. His 8,832 points this year absolutely dwarfed the 6,780 of his nearest competitor.
3 legends - Tony Hawk, Kelly Slater and Robby Naish
Slater received his award at a special ceremony held at the Read more
What a week of sport. Some great moments and a lot of stars making their cases for next year’s Laureus World Sports Awards.
1) Cycling – Mark Cavendish’s win in Paris on the final stage of the Tour de France was a moment to remember. Yes, the jersey winners had already been decided but the race for victory along the Champs-Elysees produced one of the most exhilarating pieces of sporting action this year. The build-up was dramatic as Team Columbia chased down a breakaway group along the streets of Paris at speeds of 60kph. The final sprint was devastating with Cavendish, led out by his Australian team mate Mark Renshaw, leaving his main rivals trailing out of camera-shot in a similar manner to Usain Bolt’s 100m sprint in Beijing a year ago.
You can watch the final minute here.
2) Baseball – Mark Buehrle’s ‘Perfect Game‘ for the Chicago White Sox came a very close second. A Perfect Game occurs when a pitcher scores a victory without allowing the opposition, in this case the Tampa Bay Rays, to reach a single base. Read more
1. Golf – Tom Watson didn’t win The Open Championship but he captured the hearts of millions around the world with an unbelievable performance at the age of 59. If Watson had won it would have been one of the sporting stories of the century, but his bogey at the 18th hole on the final day saw him slip in to playoff with Stewart Cink, which he eventually lost.
2. Cricket - After scraping a draw in Cardiff, the England cricket team managed to post their first win over the Australians at Lords since 1934. Read more
