Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton were declared joint winners of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.
It is the first time in the 20 year history of the event the voting has been tied.
Both had incredible years. Lewis Hamilton won his sixth world championship in 2019, with 11 race wins and 17 podium finishes. Meanwhile, Messi was crowned the world’s best player for a record sixth time when he won the Ballon d’Or.
American gymnast Simone Biles won her third Sportswoman of the Year gong after winning the award in 2017 and 2019. She became the most decorated gymnast in world championship history when she won her 25th medal last year.
The South African rugby team, which won the World Cup in Japan last year for the third time in history, were crowned the Team of the Year. They beat European soccer champions Liverpool and women’s soccer World Cup winners the United States.
Former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run-scorer of all time in international cricket, won the best Sporting Moment from the last two decades. He led his team to the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
List of winners:
Sportsman of the Year: Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi
Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles
Team of the Year: South Africa Men’s Rugby Team
Breakthrough of the Year: Egan Bernal
Comeback of the Year: Sophia Floersch
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oksana Masters
Action Sportsperson of the Year: Chloe Kim
Best Sporting Moment: ‘Carried on the shoulders of a nation’ Sachin Tendulkar
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dirk Nowitzki
Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Spanish Basketball Federation
Laureus Sport for Good Award: South Bronx United
