January 2008 Archives

Laureus World Sports Awards, St. Petersburg 2008

Darren is honoured to be nominated for this years Laureus World Sports Awards.

No less than five former Laureus winners have been short-listed again - Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Yelena Isinbayeva, Esther Vergeer and the Australian Men's Cricket Team, but they face strong challenges from some of the brightest and most exciting newcomers in world sport.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the period February 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007, are recognised as the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 43 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled during a televised Awards Ceremony staged in the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia on February 18. 2008.

The full list of nominees for the 2008 Laureus World Sports Awards is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Roger Federer (Switzerland) - winner of fifth straight Wimbledon title to equal Bjorn Borg's record
Tyson Gay (US) - winner of 100m & 200m World Championship sprint double
Kaka (Brazil) - leading scorer in 2007 Champions League, FIFA World Player of the Year
Michael Phelps (US) -won seven golds and five world records at World Swimming Championships
Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) - clinched first Formula One World Championship in last race of season
Tiger Woods (US) - winner of US PGA championship and six other US PGA Tour events

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Justine Henin (Belgium) - first tennis player to win ten titles in a season for ten years
Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) - winner of World Championship pole vault gold medal
Carolina Kluft (Sweden) - winner of third straight World Championship heptathlon gold
Libby Lenton (Australia) - won five gold medals in World Swimming Championships
Marta (Brazil) - won Golden Ball and Golden Shoe in FIFA Women's World Cup
Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) - top women's golfer in the world, won eight tournaments in 2007

Laureus World Team of the Year
AC Milan Football Team (Italy) - winners of seventh Champions League / European Cup
Australia Men's Cricket Team - winners of third successive Cricket World Cup
Ferrari (Italy) - won Formula One World Championship with their driver Kimi Raikkonen
Germany Women's Football Team - became first team to retain FIFA Women's World Cup
Iraq Football Team - won Asian Cup with a team including Sunni and Shia Muslims
South African Rugby Team - won 2007 Rugby World Cup, going through tournament unbeaten

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Alberto Contador (Spain) - won Tour de France for the first time in 2007
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) - at 20, won five times on ATP tour and was runner-up at US Open
Tyson Gay (US) - winner of 100m & 200m World Championship sprint double
Lewis Hamilton (UK) - at 22, became youngest driver to lead F1 World Championship
Oscar Pistorius (S.Africa) - has carbon fibre limbs, competed in non-disabled races in 2007
Casey Stoner (Australia) - at 21, won World MotoGP Championship, winning ten races

Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Gt.Britain Rugby League Team - won a Test series for the first time in 14 years
Christine Ohuruogu (UK) - won World Championship 400m after ban for missing drugs tests
Paula Radcliffe (UK) - won New York Marathon after two years away from competition
Jana Rawlinson (Australia) - won World Championship 400m hurdles eight months after giving birth
Steve Stricker (US) - finished 2007 as World No 4 golfer after recovering from several years poor golf
Jonny Wilkinson (UK) - returned after injury to lead England to Rugby World Cup final

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Daniel Dias (Brazil) - won eight swimming gold medals in the the ParaPan American Games
Darren Kenny (UK) - won two gold and two bronze in the World ParaCycling Championship
Sarah Storey (UK) - collected two cycling gold medals at Paralympic World Cup in Manchester
Michael Teuber (Germany) - won gold for third time in World ParaCycling Championship pursuit
Esther Vergeer (Netherlands) - wheelchair tennis player unbeaten in four years
*There are only five nominees in this category

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Daniel Dhers (Venezuela) - at 21, took gold in BMX Park at the Summer X Games
Mick Fanning (Australia) - won the 2007 Surfing World Tour, taking three firsts during the year
Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) - at 19, first surfer to win a World Surfing Championship as a rookie
Aaron Hadlow (UK) - aged 19, won PKRA kiteboarding world tour for fourth straight time
Ryan Sheckler (US) - dominated Park category in skateboarding on Action Sports Tour
Shaun White (US) - won Winter and Summer X Games golds in snowboarding and skateboarding

Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of three core elements - the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Laureus World Sports Academy and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation - which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and harness the power of sport to promote social change.

The spectacular backdrop of St. Petersburg, one of the most historic cities in the world, with its palaces of the tsars, museums, waterways and historic landmarks, promises to ensure one of the most memorable Laureus Awards Ceremonies ever. Over the years St. Petersburg has hosted many important sports events, including the highly successful 1994 Goodwill Games.

For more information see http://www.laureus.com/articles/1293&type=article

Happy New Year

2008 hasn't started well for me. The training was going great, but on boxing day I went down with the worst case of flu I've ever had! Three weeks and a stay in hospital and now I'm just about clear. The form has taken a bit of a dive, but I suppose everyone needs a break sometime.

I've got some nice elbow scars from my crashes in Colombia. Apart from that it was one of the best events I've ridden. The people there were so friendly and they seem to really like their cycle racing. Big crowds for the road events, a fast track, great weather and really fine food. Excellent!

Off to Mallorca on Monday to get back into training. Looking forward to taking a battering from the others and escaping the constant rain here. I will be finalising my calendar for this year while I'm there.

All that's left is to thank the back up team from 2007 and hope that I get the same help this year. So THANKS to Gary Brickley, Dave Mellor, Chris Furber, Helen Mortimer the mecanics Spike, Alex and James and our swanny Amy Harmsworth.

Recent Entries

  • Laureus World Sports Awards, St. Petersburg 2008

    Darren is honoured to be nominated for this years Laureus World Sports Awards. No less than five former Laureus winners have been short-listed again -

  • Happy New Year

    2008 hasn't started well for me. The training was going great, but on boxing day I went down with the worst case of flu I've

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