World champion Tadej Pogačar is among the five nominees for prestigious sports honour, the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards, for his achievements at the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Road World Championships in 2024.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader is nominated alongside the very best male athletes in world sport – tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, F1 driver Max Verstappen, swimmer Léon Marchand and pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis.
The nomination refers to Pogačar having "one of the most remarkable seasons in the history of cycling", and should he win he would join an illustrious list of winners, including Lionel Messi, Rafael Nadal and Usain Bolt.
Olympic mountain bike world champion Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) is also nominated Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, alongside the likes of Olympic skateboarder Yuto Horigome and snowboarding star Chloe Kim.
This is the first time Pogačar has been nominated for the award, which has been honouring achievements in sport since 2000 and is widely considered one of the top honours an athlete can receive. The 25th edition of the awards is set to “honour the past, celebrate the present and inspire the future”.
The awards are voted on by the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a group of 69 “sporting legends” who will decide who takes home 'The Laureus' trophies.
Last year the Sportsman of the Year award went to Novak Djokovic, whilst footballer Aitana Bonmatí was named Sportswoman of the Year.
A cyclist has only ever won the award once, with Lance Armstrong receiving the honour in 2003, though the award was later rescinded in light of his doping convictions.
More recently, however, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) was named World Breakthrough of the Year by Laureus in 2020, the year after his maiden Tour de France win.
Cyclists have also been amongst the winners of the Action Sportsperson of the Year award, with BMX rider Bethany Shriever taking the title in 2022, and downhill champion Rachel Atherton receiving it in 2022.
The winners of the various 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Madrid on April 21.
