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At a glamorous if somewhat sombre 2014 Laureus Sports Awards ceremony in Malaysia, Sebastian Vettel and Missy Franklin won the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards respectively, based on their successes in 2013.
The ceremony, packed with some of the greats of world sport, was preceded by a moment’s silence for the 239 people killed when flight MH370 crashed in the Indian Ocean in still unexplained circumstances.
Vettel, who beat Usain Bolt, LeBron James, Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mo Farah to win the award, said while accepting the trophy, “If I’ve learned anything tonight, surely it’s the fact that sport can be a very, very big inspiration.”
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“I’ve come here and seen many heroes of mine… this (award) is very inspirational, very special,” he added in an emotional tone.
18-year-old Missy Franklin who was the first woman to win six gold medals at a single Swimming World Championships, said:
“This is such a dream come true. I’m so pleased I was able to come – it’s during my spring break so I am not missing any school! I don’t think I ever been so welcomed in a country.”
The full list of winners is as follows:
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motor Racing
Sebastian Vettel speaks after winning the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award
Sebastian Vettel established himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time with his fourth straight Formula One World Championship, joining legends Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost, who all won at least four times.At just 26 years and 116 days, Vettel is the youngest ever four-time champion. In 2013 he won 13 Grands Prix, including a record nine straight victories.
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR: Missy Franklin (United States) Swimming
Missy Franklin speaks after winning the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Missy Franklin was the sensation of Barcelona, becoming the first woman in history to win six gold medals at a single World Championships – three individual and three relay – at the age of just 18.This followed her performance in the London Olympics where she won four gold medals. She continues to refuse prize money and endorsements so that she can maintain her amateur status in college.
TEAM OF THE YEAR: Bayern Munich (Germany) Football
Paul Breitner accepts the Laureus World Team of the Year award on behalf of Bayern Munich with Johan Cruyff on stage
Bayern Munich became the first club to complete the treble of UEFA Champions League (their fifth win), Bundesliga and German Cup.In the Bundesliga, they lost just one match and created a host of records: most points in a season (91), highest winning points margin (25), most wins (29), and fewest goals conceded (18). Their victory over CSKA Moscow in November was a record 10th successive Champions League success.
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR: Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis
Rafael Nadal winner of the Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Rafael Nadal returned to tennis after a seven month absence with a knee injury to produce one of his finest years. He missed the Australian Open, but won the French Open for a record eighth time, confirming his position as probably the greatest clay court player in history.He also won the US Open, his 13th Grand Slam, regained his No. 1 world ranking and won five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR: Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling
Motor cyclist Marc Marquez speaks with his Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award
Spain’s Marc Márquez became the youngest MotoGP world champion, at 20 years 266 days, when a third place finish at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix secured him the championship.He had six wins during the year and became the first to win the title in his debut season since Kenny Roberts in 1978. Márquez also became the youngest winner of a Grand Prix, in Austin in April, at 20 years 63 days.
ACTION SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Jamie Bestwick (United Kingdom) BMX
BMX cyclist Jamie Bestwick speaks on stage after accepting the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year award
A BMX giant on the Vert ramp, in Barcelona, Britain’s Jamie Bestwick became the only athlete in X Games history to win eight straight gold medals, two more than legends such as Tony Hawk and Shaun White. He has also won nine Dew Tour titles.Since he took his first gold in 2000 and began his dominant winning streak in 2007, he has won every event. His runs include his trademark airs at height.
SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD: Magic Bus (India) Charity
Matthew Spacie with Parvati speaks on stage after winning the Sport for Good award for the Magic Bus
The great success achieved by Magic Bus, an innovative project that is transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of underprivileged children in India, has been recognised at the Laureus World Sports Awards with the presentation of the Laureus Sport for Good Award.Magic Bus, founded by Englishman Matthew Spacie and based in Mumbai, aims to take children out of poverty through a programme of mentoring and coaching. Since 2001, the Magic Bus programme has grown to embrace over 300,000 children in 12 states each week, and Spacie’s ambition now is to reach out to one million children each week by 2016.
SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR WITH A DISABILITY: Marie Bochet (France) Skiing
Skier Marie Bochet winner of the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
France’s Marie Bochet, who suffers from agenesis of the left arm, dominated her sport in 2013 becoming the first athlete to complete a Grand Slam of all five events at one Alpine Skiing World Championships – and she achieved this at the age of just 19.She won Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super Combined and Super-G at La Molina in Spain, with a remarkable display of fearless and technical skiing.
SPIRIT OF SPORT AWARD: Afghanistan Cricket Team (Afghanistan) Cricket
Doctor Noor Mohammad Murad on behalf of the Afghanistan Cricket team
In a country devastated by war, cricket has emerged as a source of great national pride in Afghanistan. And qualifying for the Cricket World Cup for the first time led by coach Kabir Khan and captain Mohammad Nabi stands as proof of the remarkable growth in the sport over the past 12 years.In that time Afghanistan has moved from almost no involvement in cricket to a level of international success that has been recognised at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur with the presentation of the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award to the Afghanistan Cricket Team.
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