Armand Duplantis named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year after third consecutive nomination. The two-time Olympic champion broke the men’s pole vault record for the eleventh time in February and won the prestigious award after getting nominated in the two previous editions.

A second Olympic gold medal, three world records, an engagement and his first music single – it has been a busy 365 days for Armand Duplantis. Now the Swedish pole vaulter can also add his first Laureus World Sports Award to the list.

Duplantis won the World Sportsman of the Year award at a ceremony in Madrid, Spain on Monday (21 April) against top stars, including four-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic tennis silver medallist Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, four-time Olympic swimming champion Leon Marchand of France, three-time Tour de France winner and Olympic road cycling bronze medallist Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, and Dutch four-time Formula One winner Max Verstappen.

Tennis ace Novak Djokovic, who was named World Sportsman of the Year in the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards, presented Duplantis with the statuette.

In addition to Djokovic, earlier winners of the World Sportsman of the Year award include football World Cup winner Lionel Messi, eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt.

“I am incredibly honoured to have won my first Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in the sporting capital of Madrid and to have the great Usain Bolt pay tribute to me, who I follow as the second track and field athlete to win this award,” Duplantis said upon receiving the statuette.

“I’ll never forget receiving this beautiful Laureus from the great Novak Djokovic – I’m following in the footsteps of giants like Novak, Usain, Rafael Nadal and Lionel Messi. The list of past winners of this award is like a history of sporting greatness over the past 25 years.

Duplantis was also nominated for the Sportsman of the Year award in 2023 and 2024 in recognition of his record-breaking athletics performances. The 25-year-old first broke the world record in February 2020, setting a mark of 6.17m, and then improved it by 0.01m a few days later.

He broke his own record three more times in 2022, twice in 2023, and three times in 2024, including in the Paris 2024 final, to become the first back-to-back men’s pole vault champion at the Olympic Games since the USA’s Bob Richards, who achieved the feat in the 1950s.

Most recently, Duplantis set the world record mark at 6.27m on 28 February, during a meet in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

“The Laureus Awards are the ultimate awards that we athletes want to win,” he said. “I know because this is the [third] time I have been nominated – and that proves it’s harder to win a Laureus than an Olympic gold medal!

“The Laureus Awards represent something more than sporting achievement. The fact that they are voted on by the 69 world-class athletes of the Laureus World Sports Academy elevates them to another level. These are athletes who know the dedication and commitment that lies behind sporting successes; they have set the mark that athletes like me strive for. To be recognised by them is truly something special.”

Source: IOC