Tina Maze heads strong Winter Olympic challenge for Laureus Sportswoman Award

LONDON, January 14, 2015 – Big name stars from a wide range of sports are in fierce competition for the 2015 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, which is promising to be one of the closest contests ever.

Among the likely contenders: the Winter Olympics in Sochi produced an array of brilliant gold medal winners including Marit Bjørgen, Darya Domracheva and Tina Maze; China’s No.1 tennis player Li Na closed her amazing career with a second Grand Slam victory in the Australian Open; New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams extended her winning streak to 56; while American gymnast Simone Biles, 17, had another spectacular year, dominating the World Championships.

The Laureus World Sports Awards is recognised as the premier honours event in the international sporting calendar. The SIX Nominees for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, as voted by the Laureus Global Media Selection Panel, will be announced on February 11, with the eventual winner being revealed at the Laureus Awards Ceremony in Shanghai on April 15.

Slovenian ski sensation Tina Maze will be many people’s favourite to be nominated for a second straight year after winning two Olympic gold medals in Sochi, taking the blue riband Downhill (shared with Dominique Gisin) and the Giant Slalom. In a fine all-round performance, she was also fourth in Super Combined, fifth in Super G and eighth in Slalom.

Versatile Austrian Anna Fenninger won the Super G Olympic gold by more than half a second, then three days later followed that with a silver medal in the Giant Slalom. After Sochi, she returned to the World Cup where she also secured the Overall and Giant Slalom titles.

At 33, Norway’s cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen became the most decorated female Winter Olympian in history by winning three gold medals in the 15km Skiathlon, Team Sprint and 30km Freestyle events. Her career successes now total six Olympic gold medals, three silvers and a bronze.

Darya Domracheva from Belarus became the first woman to win three biathlon titles at the same Winter Olympics, in 10km Pursuit, 12.5km mass start and 15km individual, while short track Chinese speed skater Zhou Yang took the gold medal by defending her 1,500 metres title.

In tennis, China’s Li Na won her second Grand Slam, the Australian Open, in January and a month later achieved a career-best ranking of world No.2. However, seven months later she was forced to retire, at the age of 32, because of knee injuries. Over the course of her career, Li Na also won the 2011 French Open and reached the final of the Australian Open in 2011 and 2013. She was the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam which resulted in a significant increase in tennis in China.

After a disappointing start to the year in the first three Grand Slam events – going out in the fourth round in Australia, third round at Wimbledon and second round in the French Open – American Serena Williams found her form to beat Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the US Open to secure her 18th career Grand Slam victory. The Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova won her second Wimbledon title, beating Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets, and climbing to No.4 in the world rankings.

At just 17, and in only her second year of senior competition, American Simone Biles showed that she is a gymnastic great in the making by winning four golds and one silver medal at the World Championships in Nanning. Most impressively she won the All-Around gold medal for the second straight year, as well as the Floor Exercises. Her other gold medals came in Beam and the Team Championship, with silver in Vault.

For the fourth straight year, world and Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams ended the season undefeated, having won all her 14 competitions, bringing her unbeaten streak to 56. The New Zealander totally justified being named IAAF Women’s Athlete of the Year after she won all seven Diamond League events and gold medals in the World Indoor Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Also in track and field, Dutch heptathlete Dafne Schippers gambled on dropping her favourite discipline at the European Championships in Zurich in favour of the sprints and amazed the athletics world when she won the 100 metres and 200 metres double, while Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba became only the third athlete to break three world records in two weeks - in Karlsruhe, she broke the 1,500 metres indoor record, five days later it was the 3,000 metres in Stockholm and then the two mile record in Birmingham.

Among the highlights in other sports, Spanish swimmer Mireia Belmonte completed an outstanding year with four gold medals in the World Short Course Championships in Doha, including world records in the 200 metres butterfly and 400 metres individual medley. One week later during the Spanish Championships she broke the 1,500 metres freestyle short course world record. Earlier in the year at the European Championships in Berlin she had won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

At just 22, Australia’s cricket captain Meg Lanning led her team to their third straight World Twenty/20 Championship victory, beating England in the final. She was the star of the show with a match-winning 44 runs from 30 balls. Earlier in the tournament she had scored 126 runs from 65 balls against Ireland, the highest individual score in a women's international. She was named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

Malaysia’s Nicol David once again totally dominated her sport of squash, winning her fifth British Open, her third straight US Open and her ninth Hong Kong Open. Ireland’s Katie Taylor won her fifth consecutive gold medal at the AIBA Women's World Championships in South Korea in the lightweight final, drawing level with Indian boxer Mary Kom.

Magali Harvey was voted Women’s Rugby Player of the Year after Canada reached the World Cup final for the first time. She was the first Canadian to receive the award. And British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead (UK) won the gold medal in the road race at the Commonwealth Games, as well as securing the nine-stage UCI Women's Road World Cup title with a race to spare.

Laureus World Sports Academy Member and skiing great Franz Klammer, who was the Olympic Downhill champion in 1976, said: “The Winter Olympics produced some amazing performances in Sochi and I am not surprised to see that so many gold medal winners are being considered as possible Nominees. Lindsey Vonn won this Award in 2010 and as a skier myself I would be delighted if we could have another skier as the winner in 2015. I wouldn’t like to pick out one name as they all achieved so much. That is the measure of great sport; delivering an outstanding performance when you have to in the biggest competitions.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards recognise sporting achievement during the calendar year 2014. The six Nominees for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award are voted for by the Laureus Global Media Selection Panel, comprising leading sports editors, sports writers, broadcasters and online journalists from around the world. The eventual winner will then be chosen from that list in a secret ballot by the ultimate sports jury, the 47 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy - the living legends of sport honouring the greatest athletes of today.

Among the sporting greats who have previously been named as winners of Laureus Awards over the last 15 years have been Usain Bolt, Sebastian Coe, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Alex Ferguson, Lewis Hamilton, Kelly Holmes, Yao Ming, Rafael Nadal, Pelé, Steve Redgrave, Ronaldo, Michael Schumacher, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, Serena Williams, Liu Xiang and Zinedine Zidane.

Guests who have attended previous Awards Ceremony in the past have included His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, David and Victoria Beckham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sean Connery, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Morgan Freeman, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 150 sports-based community projects in 34 countries around the world that have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people.

Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy and Laureus Ambassadors volunteer their time to act as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, whose mission is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness, education and health problems such as obesity. Since its inception Laureus has raised over €60 million to support projects around the world.

The globally televised Awards Ceremony, attended by many legends of sport past and present, will celebrate the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year. The Laureus World Sports Awards will be supported by Chinese textile and wool company HengYuanXiang Group (HYX), the Host Partner of the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards, and will receive the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Shanghai, one of China’s most iconic travel destinations and one of the most spectacular cities on Earth, is a perfect location for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards. A popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks, such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yu Garden, as well as the dramatic Lujiazui skyline, it is a showcase for the booming economy of China. Shanghai mixes old world charm with a modern and vibrant city, perfectly blending the past and present. Shanghai annually hosts some of the biggest sports events in the world, including the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and the IAAF Shanghai Diamond League meeting.

Enjoying a long-standing reputation in China, HYX is a leading force in the textile and garment industry. In recent years HYX has evolved into a modern enterprise developing its own unique ‘brand and culture’, through brands like ‘HYX’, ‘Fazeya’ and ‘Nanonan’. For many years, HYX has actively focused on sport and been a partner in sports events like football, basketball, gymnastics and marathon. In December 2005, HYX became the first non-sports textile and costume sponsor in the history of the Olympics and three years later became the first partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee, customizing the Olympic kit for Chinese athletes.

The ‘Eternal Love’ programme, co-founded by HYX and the China Children and Teenagers’ Foundation, has won the China Charity Award twice, being honoured as the No.1 activity for caring for orphaned and disabled children in China. Also, the ‘HYX Literature Star High School Students’ Writing Contest’ has become the most influential event of its kind, attracting the largest number of contestants. In 1997 and 2007 HYX supported the ‘10,000 Teenagers’ Recreational and Sports Activities’ event in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China, in the hope of promoting the health of teenagers. For a long time, HYX has been an active partner in sports events like football, basketball, gymnastics and marathon.

For further information please contact:

Virginie Bernon

International Senior Media & PR Manager

Tel: +44 (0) 207 514 2841

Email: publicrelations@laureus.com

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