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Ennis-Hill and Hamilton head Laureus nominees

Lewis Hamilton, Britain’s three-time Formula One world champion, and world and Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill head up the six nominations which British sport has received for the 2016 Laureus World Sports Awards, following a ballot by the world’s media.

No mistakes: Jessica Ennis-Hill on her way to regaining the heptathlon world title in Beijing
Jessica Ennis-Hill on her way to regaining the heptathlon world title in Beijing

Both are Laureus Award winners – Hamilton in 2008 and Ennis-Hill in 2013 – and this year have been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and Laureus World Comeback of the Year respectively.

The other British nominees include Great Britain’s Davis Cup-winning team, triple world champion swimmer Adam Peaty, mountain bike world champion Rachel Atherton and heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.

Hamilton is up against the likes of Usain Bolt, Jordan Spieth and Lionel Messi for the Laureus Sportsman award. In the Comeback category, the voting is between Ennis-Hill, Dan Carter and Michael Phelps, among others.

Last December, Ennis-Hill was named by the SJA as the British Sportswoman of the Year, while long jump world champion Greg Rutherford was chosen by a poll of SJA members as our 2015 Sportsman of the Year, with Hamilton third. Britain’s Davis Cup team was voted as out Team of the Year.

Hamilton, who won his second consecutive world title in 2015, said: “I want to say thank you to Laureus for nominating me for the Sportsman of the Year Award. I feel very privileged. I’m a big admirer of what Laureus does and it’s so great to be a part of it. I wish all the other Nominees the best. I’m really excited to see what the outcome will be. Either way I feel privileged to be among some of the greats.”

Jessica Ennis-Hill, who returned to athletics after injuries and becoming a mother, won the world heptathlon gold medal in Beijing. She said: “I feel very honoured to be nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award – 2015 for me was very special. To come back from having my son and win a gold medal at the World Championships in Beijing exceeded all my expectations. It was probably the toughest year of training I have had with so many injuries and physical changes to deal with along the way. My coach and medical team did an amazing job in getting me ready to tackle the heptathlon 13 months after Reggie was born – I still find it hard to believe I won. I would like to thank the world’s media for nominating me.”

The 2016 Laureus Awards will take place in Berlin on April 18.


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