Boks, Kolisi up for major award
Springbok World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi is one of four South African nominees for the 2024 sporting Oscars, the Laureus World Sports Awards, that take place in April.
Kolisi is joined by his Springbok team, sailing star Kirsten Neuschafer and the organisation Justice Desk Africa, who are in line to win awards.
The Springboks are nominated for this year’s Laureus World Team-of-the-Year award following their incredible World Cup triumph over New Zealand in October. They won their quarterfinal match against France, the semifinal against England and the final against New Zealand by one point on each occasion.
It was a second straight World Cup win for the Boks, who also won in 2019, and their fourth overall.
The Boks are up against Europe’s Ryder Cup golf team, Germany’s men’s basketball team, Manchester City, Red Bull’s F1 team, and Spain’s women’s football team.
Captain Kolisi, who now plays his rugby for Racing 92 in France, is nominated for the Laureus World Comeback-of-the-Year Award, after recovering from a partial ligament tear in his knee to lead the Springboks to glory in France.
He is up against, among others, gymnastics star Simone Biles.
Neuschafer is shortlisted for the Laureus World Action-Sportsperson-of the Year award, marking her extraordinary achievement of becoming the first female to win a solo round-the-world race via the three Great Capes.
Rounding off the South African nominees is Justice Desk Africa, a group in the running for the Laureus Sport-for-Good award.
There are six nominees in each category, and the names of the winners will be revealed on 22 April, following a vote by the Laureus World Sports Academy – made up of 69 of the greatest sporting legends of all time.
The Sportsman-of-the-Year nominees are Novak Djokovic, Mondo Duplantis, Erling Haaland, Noah Lyles, Lionel Messi and Max Verstappen, and the Sportswoman-of-the-Year nominees are Aitana Bonmati, Shericka Jackson, Faith Kipyegon, Sha’carri Richardson, Mikaela Shiffrin and Iga Swiatek.