Wayde’s achievements are what I call a breakthrough

I WRITE this letter to highlight the Laureus sports awards with regard to the breakthrough-of-the-year award nominations.

With all due respect to now retired Nico Rosberg, who was awarded the award through a secret ballot vote, I strongly feel South African Wayde van Niekerk fully deserved to win the award based on his achievements – breaking world records.

In essence, Formula 1 has changed significantly over the last couple of years. The motorsport is now seen as a monopolistic competition within the Mercedes team, a battle between its two drivers.

So much for competition between men, and not forgetting about the machines. Formula 1 cannot be regarded as an international sport as it does not even feature on the African continent.

Did Rosberg achieve this award because of his “breakthrough” in beating his very own teammate Lewis Hamilton (through a weak points system), who, if I may add, also won the last four races of the Formula 1 season?

Van Niekerk became the fastest 400m athlete in history on the grandest stage, the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

Not only did he break a record that stood for 20 years, he also attained a unique achievement by becoming the first man to run a sub-10-second (9.98) 100m, a sub-20second (19.94) 200m and a sub-44second 400m races.

That is what I call a breakthrough. As an enthusiastic sports fan, I say Van Niekerk absolutely deserved the breakthrough of the millennium award!

Laureus needs to develop a system whereby sports fans decide the winners, not a secret ballot system.

He fully deserved to win the Laureus sports award

Lydenburg, Mpumalanga