Arisa Trew, a 14-year-old skateboarding sensation with her eyes set on the Olympics, has become the sole Australian to be honoured at world sport’s biggest awards gala.
While Novak Djokovic and Aitana Bonmati were being saluted as world sportsman and sportswoman of the year at the Laureus Awards on Monday (Tuesday AEST), the Gold Coast youngster was thrilled to be named the Action Sportsperson of the Year at a lavish ceremony in Madrid.
Trew was honoured for her pioneering feat at the age of just 13 last year when she became the first female skater to land a 720, the trick which involves two full rotations in mid-air, in competition.
She pulled off the iconic manoeuvre, first successfully performed by skating great Tony Hawk in 1985, at the American great’s own event – and he was there to applaud Trew as she made history.
Subsequently, the young Queenslander became the first female in X Games history to win both the park and vert ‘double’ and is now firmly on course to wear green and gold at the Olympics.
“It’s a really big achievement for me because I didn’t really think I would even be here,” Trew said, after making a splash on Monday by arriving at the ceremony with her skateboard on the red carpet.
Other stars of the show were Spanish World Cup winner Bonmati, recognised as the best woman player in the game during their triumph in Australia, who also picked up the Team of the Year award on behalf of her colleagues.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady handed Djokovic his fifth Laureus award for the world No.1 tennis player’s landmark 2023 season in which he equalled Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam titles with wins at the Australian, French and US Opens, as well as 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.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham was the winner of the World Breakthrough of the Year after his stellar season at Real Madrid, the first footballwr to take that accolade.
The Laureus Awards nominees were selected by the world’s media, with the winners determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. They’ve been presented since 2000.
List of winners:
World Sportswoman of the Year: Aitana Bonmati
World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic
World Team of the Year: Spain Women’s Football Team
World Breakthrough of the Year: Jude Bellingham
World Comeback of the Year: Simone Biles
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Diede de Groot
World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Arisa Trew
Laureus Sport for Good: Rafa Nadal Foundation
Source Agencies
