- Arisa Trew, 14 named Action Athlete of the Year
- A young woman from the Gold Coast is the first skater to get a 720
- Trew was the only Australian honored at the ceremony.
Arisa Trew, a 14-year-old skateboarding sensation with her eyes set on the Olympics, has become the only Australian to be honored at the biggest awards show in world sport.
While Novak Djokovic and Aitana Bonmati were honored as World Athlete and Sportsperson of the Year at the Laureus Awards on Monday (Tuesday AEST), the Gold Coast youngster was delighted to be named Action Athlete of the Year at the lavish ceremony in Madrid.
Trew was honored for her pioneering feat at the age of just 13 last year, when she became the first skater to perform a 720 (two full rotations in the air) in a competition.
She performed the iconic maneuver, first performed by skate great Tony Hawk in 1985 at the Great American event, and he was there to applaud Trew as she made history.
Australian teenager Arisa Trew (pictured) has been named action athlete of the year
Trew (pictured on the red carpet at the Laureus Awards in Madrid) became the first skater to land a 720 in 2023 at just 13 years old.
The young Queenslander subsequently became the first woman in X Games history to win the park and do a ‘double’ and is now firmly on track to don the green and gold at the Paris Olympics later this year. anus.
“It’s a big accomplishment for me because I didn’t even think I’d be here,” Trew said, after making a splash Monday by arriving at the ceremony with his skateboard on the red carpet.
Other stars of the show included Women’s World Cup winner Bonmati, recognized as the standout player during Spain’s triumph at the 2023 tournament in Australia.
He also collected the team of the year award on behalf of his teammates.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady presented Djokovic with his fifth Laureus Award for the world number one tennis player’s historic 2023 season.
The Serbian equaled Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles with wins at the Australian, French and United States Opens, in addition to reaching the Wimbledon final.
Gymnast Simone Biles won comeback of the year after her four gold medals at last year’s world championships, her first international event since competing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Trew is on track to wear green and gold at the Paris Olympics later this year.
The young man from the Gold Coast was the only Australian honored at the most important awards gala in world sport.
English midfielder Jude Bellingham was the winner of the World Cup of the Year award after his stellar season at Real Madrid – the first footballer to receive the award.
The Laureus Awards nominees were selected by media outlets around the world and the winners were determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
They have been presented since 2000.
List of winners:
World Athlete of the Year: Aitana Bonmati
World Athlete of the Year: Novak Djokovic
World Team of the Year: Spanish Women’s Soccer Team
World Breakthrough of the Year: Jude Bellingham
World Comeback of the Year: Simone Biles
World Disabled Athlete of the Year: Diede de Groot
World Action Sportswoman of the Year: Arisa Trew
Laureus Sport for Good: Rafa Nadal Foundation