Wayde: I’ll probably be very starstruck at Laureus Awards

RUBBING shoulders with the who’s who of international sport is becoming the norm for Wayde van Niekerk, as he joins the ranks of the world’s top athletes.

Van Niekerk’s incredible world-record run at the Rio Olympics earned him a nomination for this year’s 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards, adding to his status as one of the hottest properties in world sport.

Shortlisted for the Laureus Sport Breakthrough of the Year Award, Van Niekerk will be up against a host of topclass competition including three teams.

He will go up against Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg, Ethiopian world-record breaker Almaz Ayana, English Premier League champion Leicester City, European Championship quarter-finalists Iceland and Olympic Rugby Sevens gold medallists Fiji.

“I can go through the line-up and tell you how every sportsperson and sports group have inspired me,” Van Niekerk told Laureus. “I have massive respect for them all, so I’ll probably be very starstruck at the Laureus Awards.”

Van Niekerk follows in the footsteps of Oscar Pistorius (2008 and 2012), and Louis Oosthuizen to be nominated for this award. Six South Africans have won awards in various categories, including the victorious Springboks from the 2007 Rugby World Cup for Team of the Year, and Pistorius, Natalie du Toit and Ernst van Dyk for Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year.

Adventurer Mike Horn and Schalk Burger earned gongs for Action Sportsperson of the Year and Comeback of the Year respectively. “It’s just been a blessing to myself and yet another milestone or achievement (being nominated) I can tick off, knowing that I have been nominated for such a massive award. It’s exciting because I get to see all the other nominees in all the other categories. It’s been a massive surprise and a great, great honour just to be nominated,” Van Niekerk said.

Rosberg was one of the first major nominees to speak to the media, where questions about his retirement dominated the press conference.

When asked who he thought his biggest rival would be, Rosberg rather diplomatically said it was too difficult to say.

Should Van Niekerk get the nod, it would add to his growing list of accolades following on his award for Best Male Athlete of the Games.