Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was named the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards held in Paris.
The Jamaican sprinter won a record-breaking fifth 100m gold at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, an impressive feat 13 years after winning her first.
In addition to this, she has more world sprint titles than any other athlete and ran sub-10.7 for 100m seven times in 2022. Her performance easily outshone her competition and earned her the coveted Laureus award.
The ceremony was attended by all eight award winners, legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy, past Laureus award recipients, and some of the world’s greatest athletes. Lionel Messi, a football player, was also awarded the Laureus World Sportsman award.
Nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards are selected by the world’s media, while the winners are determined by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. These members are legendary figures from the past 50 years of athletic excellence, making them the ultimate sporting jury.
Upon receiving her award, Fraser-Pryce expressed her joy at being nominated alongside other inspiring female athletes and winning an award voted for by some of the greatest sportsmen and women of all time.
This was Fraser-Pryce’s sixth nomination in the category, and she considers this win one of the greatest honours of her career.
Fraser-Pryce also acknowledged the responsibility of athletes to set a positive example and influence the next generation, emphasizing that the Laureus Awards represent the best of what athletes can achieve.
The 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards was not only a celebration of the best athletes of 2022 but also a recognition of the mission Laureus has held since 2000 when Nelson Mandela spoke at the first event and said that “Sport has the power to change the world.
It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.” This mission remains at the heart of Laureus’ work.
