Madrid [Spain], March 3 (ANI): Rishabh Pant’s unforgettable comeback from a life-threatening car crash to Test glory for India has been recognised with a nomination for the prestigious Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, a release stated.
Pant will represent both India and the sport of cricket as the world’s biggest sports awards celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Nominees for the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards are decided after a vote by the world’s sports media.
The ceremony will take place in in Madrid, Spain, on April 21 and be a celebration of the greatest athletic achievements of 2024 and the best sporting moments from the 25 years since the first Laureus World Sports Awards, in 2000.
“Rishabh Pant’s story has more drama than any sports movie script: a national hero and a sporting icon who almost lost everything in an accident; a long and testing road to recovery; and finally a heroic comeback on the biggest stage, cheered on by millions of Indian cricket fans,” the release stated.
“I felt my time in this world was up,” said Pant about the accident in December 2020 on the Delhi-Dehradun highway, in which he had to be pulled from his vehicle before it burst into flames.
Pant was fortunate not to lose a leg and suffered multiple critical injuries before beginning a 629-day journey back to Test cricket. The movie script ended in the perfect finale – on his comeback Test, he scored a match-winning century against Bangladesh, equalling MS Dhoni’s record for the most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper.
Reflecting on his nomination for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, Rishabh Pant said, “I have always believed that the biggest virtue of life is to be grateful for everything God has blessed you with. Over the course of my life, I have focused in being positive and happy in every situation, trusting the power of self-belief and resilience to deal with every challenge. When I survived the near fatal car crash, I realised that I have been fortunate to be a blessed soul, which inspired me to work extremely hard to undo everything and return to the pitch as a better version of myself with greater motivation. I knew that my return to normal life was only half the circle of my comeback and I needed to complete the circle by being committed towards my dream of playing for India again. In 2024, I returned to play for the Indian Test team 629 days after the car crash, the year where we also won the ICC T20 World Cup.”
“My journey back to competitive cricket was incredibly challenging, so when the moment eventually arrived, the culmination of a long mental and physical battle, was extremely fulfilling. It felt like a deeply personal moment, which was a victory of faith and rigorous routines. Being nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award is very special to me and an acknowledgement to the efforts of everyone involved in my comeback, right from my family, the BCCI, doctors, medical team, support staff, trainers and the fans. This Award is a symbol of inspiration and commitment, represented by some of the greatest stories in sports. Hence, it’s an honour for me to be nominated this year. I hope my story and those of the other nominated athletes can inspire sports fans and individuals across the world to never give-up, have self-belief and always be grateful and happy in life,” he added.
Pant is joined on the shortlist by gymnast Rebeca Andrade who successfully battled through a tortuous struggle with anterior cruciate ligament injures to win gold in Paris; ski racer Lara Gut-Behrami and swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who defended her Olympic 400m freestyle title shortly after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour on her ovary; Caeleb Dressel, who won two relay golds in the pool in Paris after a break to address his mental health, and Marc Marquez, the Spanish Moto GP ace who won three Grands Prix after an arm injury that threatened his career.
Pant’s story captured the hearts of cricket fans all over the world, including some of the game’s greatest stars.
Laureus Ambassador and legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh said, “I met with Rishabh in March 2023. At that point, he was well on the road to recovery from his injuries, but also still had a way to go. What struck me most was his relentless positivity. We enjoyed a good laugh in each other’s company and it was that generosity of spirit and optimism which carried him through – and saw him cap a remarkable comeback with his return to Test cricket in 2024. He is an example to all sportsmen and women that maintaining a positive approach to injury and setbacks is vital to returning to competitive action.”
It will be up to the 69 sporting icons of the Laureus World Sports Academy to cast their votes and determine who will add their names to the exclusive list of those to receive a coveted Laureus Statuette.
According to the release, this shortlist for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award contains some of the greatest athletes not only of the past 12 months, but of all-time. Four-time Laureus Award winner Simone Biles’ magical displays in Paris ensured she became the most decorated gymnast in history, while last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmati, is one of the names in contention once again after winning the Ballon d’Or and treble with Barcelona. Sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is also shortlisted after winning two golds in Paris.
In 2024, San Antonio Spurs centre Victor Wembanyama was unanimously named the league’s Rookie of the Year and was also the first rookie ever to be selected in the All-Defensive First Team. His groundbreaking season was rounded off with a silver medal as part of the French national team at the 2024 Olympic Games, and he is nominated for this year’s Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. So, too, is Julien Alfred, who won a first-ever Olympic gold for the Caribbean Island of St Lucia, and fellow history-maker Letsile Tebogo, who delivered a maiden gold for Botswana. They are joined on the shortlist by teenage swimming starlet Summer McIntosh and the star of Spain’s swashbuckling Euro 2024 squad, Lamine Yamal.
The McLaren Formula One Team stand alone as the sole Nominee for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award not to hail from either Spain or the USA, but they more than merit their place after ending a 26-year wait to win the 2024 Constructors’ World Championship. Among the other representatives on the shortlist are Real Madrid and the Boston Celtics.
The Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award is made up of athletes whose performances lit up the Paris Paralympic Games. Swimming duo Teresa Perales and Jian Yuhan are among those nominated, as is America Matt Stutzman, who made history in the French capital after becoming the first armless para-archer to win a gold medal. He is joined by wheelchair tennis champion Tokito Oda and Catherine Debrunner, who won five golds as well as the Berlin and London Marathons.
Tom Pidcock’s recovery from a puncture in the early stages of the Olympic cross-country mountain biking race to win a second gold earns him a place on the shortlist for the Laureus Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, alongside two gold-medal winning skateboarders – Yuto Horigome and last year’s Award winner Arisa Trew, plus snowboarder Chloe Kim, surfer Caroline Marks and Polish speed climber Aleksandra Miroslaw.
In addition to the athlete awards, each year the Laureus Sport for Good Award celebrates the work carried out by a community-based programme which has helped to transform the lives of children and young people through the power of sport. Over 300 organisations in more than 40 countries carry out this inspiring work every day, and six of these have been shortlisted for this year’s Award, the release stated.
“Paris Basket 18 is a neighbourhood basketball club which impacts over 3,500 young people every year. Its participants benefit from programmes which seek to pass on values such as respect and tolerance through combining sport and education. They are joined on this year’s inspirational shortlist by: Kick4life, a charity using football to reach at-risk children in Lesotho; Figure Skating Harlem, which uses figure skating to support girls in the New York neighbourhood to develop confidence and leadership skills; Kind Surf, a programme helping young people in Valencia and Zaurutz, Spain, at risk of social exclusion due to intellectual disabilities; Liberi Nantes, which uses football as a lifeline for refugees and political asylum seekers in Rome, Italy; and UK-based Street League, which helps people from 14-30 secure employment and training opportunities,” it added.
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award:
Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) Gymnastics – battling back from injury, she won Olympic gold, two silvers and bronze
Caeleb Dressel (USA) Swimming – overcame mental health issues to win two relay golds and a silver in Paris
Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland) Alpine Skiing – won overall World Cup title for first time since 2015/16 season
Marc Marquez (Spain) Motor Cycling – returned from serious injury to win three Grand Prix in 2024
Rishabh Pant (India) Cricket – 629 days after a life-threatening car crash, returned to play for India Test team
Ariarne Titmus (Australia) Swimming – defended her Olympic 400m freestyle title less than year after being diagnosed with a tumour. (ANI)
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