Simone Biles won her fourth career Laureus World Sports award, and her first in the comeback category.
Biles earned Comeback of the Year after she won four gold medals and one silver at October’s world gymnastics championships after taking nearly two years off from competition after the Tokyo Games.
Biles was previously nominated for Comeback of the Year in 2022, after she returned from the twisties to earn Olympic balance beam bronze. British skateboarder Sky Brown won that year.
Biles has won Sportswoman of the Year three times, second-most in history behind Serena Williams.
The other Comeback of the Year nominees were soccer player Sebastien Haller of Côte d’Ivoire, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain, rugby player Siya Kolisi of South Africa, basketball player Jamal Murray of Canada and tennis player Marketa Vondrousova of Czechia.
Novak Djokovic won Sportsman of the Year for a fifth time, tying the record held by fellow tennis player Roger Federer.
The other nominees were pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, soccer players Erling Haaland of Norway and Lionel Messi of Argentina, American sprinter Noah Lyles and Formula One driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands.
Spain soccer player Aitana Bonmati won Sportswoman of the Year over Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, tennis player Iga Swiatek and track stars Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson and Faith Kipyegon.
Other winners included Spain’s women’s soccer team (Team of the Year), Dutch wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot (Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability), British soccer player Jude Bellingham (Breakthrough of the Year) and Australian skateboarder Arisa Trew (Action Sportsperson of the Year).
Winners were selected by a panel of 69 Laureus World Sports Academy members, many legendary athletes. The Laureus Awards debuted in 2000.
