Why Tokyo Olympics Gold Medallist Neural Chopra Nominated for Laurels World Sports Awards

• Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, Neural Chopra, has been nominated for the prestigious Laurels Sports Award. The 24-year-old has been selected as one of the six nominees for the 2022 Laurels World Breakthrough of the Year Award.
•  The other five sports persons who have been nominated for the award are Australian Open runner-up Danial Mercedes, British tennis star Emma Raducanu, Barcelona and Spain footballer Pedro, Venezuelan athlete Yulia Rojas and Australian swimmer Ariane Titus.
•  He is only the third Indian athlete to be nominated for the Laurens Award after wrestler Vines Phat in 2019 and cricket maestro who won the Laurens Sporting Moment Award 2000-2020

THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES:

•  Laurens World Sportsman of the Year Award:

1. Tom Brady (USA) American Football – the greatest NFL quarterback, he won a record seventh Super Bowl.
2.  Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Tennis – won three Grand Slams in 2021 to take his total of career wins to 20.

3.  Caleb Dressed (USA) Swimming – outstanding male swimmer in Tokyo with five Olympic gold medals.

4.  Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) Athletics – became third person in history to win back-to-back Olympic marathons.

5.  Robert Lewandowski (Poland) Football – surpassed Geld Muller’s record of 40 goals in a season for Bayern.
6.  Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing – won his first Formula One World Championship in 2021.

•  Laurels World Sportswoman of the Year award:

1. Ashleigh B arty (Australia) Tennis – world No.1, won Wimbledon, her second career Grand Slam.

2.  Allyson Felix (USA) Athletics – surpassed Carl Lewis as the most decorated track and field US Olympian.

3.  Katie Bedeck (USA) Swimming – won 800 and 1,500 meters freestyle golds in Tokyo, plus two silver medals.

4.  Emma McKeon (Australia) Swimming – won four gold and three bronze in Tokyo, the most by an individual.

5.  Alexia Patellas (Spain) Football – Barcelona captain; won Balloon d’Or and UEFA Women’s Player of 2020.

•  Laurens World Team of the Year Award:

1. Argentina Men’s Football Team – own  Lionel Messi’s first international trophy, at age of 34.
2.  Barcelona Women’s Football Team (Spain) – won first Champions League, beating English club Chelsea 4-0 China Olympic Diving Team – won gold medals in seven of the eight events staged in the pool in Tokyo.
3.  Italy Men’s Football Team – under Roberto Mancini won European Championship for first time since 1968 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team (Germany) – won record eighth Constructors' Championship.
4.  Milwaukee Bucks (USA) Basketball – inspired by Giannis Antetokounmpo, won a second NBA championship.

•  Laurens World Breakthrough of the Year award:

1. Neural Chopra (India) Athletics – own javelin to become India’s first winner of an Olympic athletics gold

2.  Daniel Mercedes (Russia) Tennis – won his first ever Grand Slam, dropping only one set in the US Open

3.  Pedro (Spain) Football – 19, played 53 times in 2020/21 for Barcelona, and every game for Spain in Euro 2020

4.  Emma Radical (UK) Tennis – became a global sensation when she won the US Open at the age of 18

5.  Yulia Rojas (Venezuela) Athletics – broke 26-year-old world record to win triple jump gold in Tokyo.

6.  Ariadne Titus (Australia) Swimming – aged 20, beat champion Katie Bedeck at 200 and 400 m in Tokyo.

•  Laurels World Comeback of the Year award:

1.  Simone Biles (USA) Gymnastics – after withdrawing in Tokyo, she came back to win bronze in the beam

2.  Sky Brown (UK) Skateboarding – aged 13, recovered from fractured skull to win bronze medal in Tokyo

3.  Mark Cavendish (UK) Cycling – fought back from depression to win second Tour de France sprint title

4.  Tom Daley (UK) Diving – had knee surgery in June, but won 10 meters synchronized gold in Tokyo