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By Monica Iheakam
Spanish Tennis star, Carlos Alcaraz has beaten Nigeria’s World 100m hurdles champion, Tobi Amusan and four others to the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award as announced Monday evening in Paris, France.
Amusan was nominated following her historic race to immortality at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, becoming the first Nigerian to win a world outdoor title following her victory in the 100m hurdles.
Last year, Alcaraz made headlines as the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973).
He captured his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid and lifted his maiden major trophy at the US Open and capped it off by becoming the youngest year-end ATP No. 1.
Other nominees for the award were tennis player Elena Rybakina, the Morocco men’s football team and figure skater Nathan Chen.
“A very special night in Paris! Thank you for this Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award! ” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter. “Thank you to the academy and everyone who made this possible. And of course congratulations to all the winners and nominees! ”
Meanwhile, World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was named World Sportswoman of the Year.
Fraser-Pryce won a record fifth 100m gold at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, 13 years after her first. She has more world sprint titles than any other athlete, and in 2022 she ran sub-10.7 for 100m seven times, three more than the previous best for a female sprinter in a calendar year.
