Madrid, Spain, February 27, 2024: Hangzhou Asian Games MVP Qin Haiyang has been nominated for “Breakthrough of the Year” in the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards.
China’s “breaststroke king” became the first swimmer in history to win all three breaststroke events at the World Aquatics Championships in 2023.
Aged 24, he had never won a medal at a major long-course (50m) event, but he swept to a 50-100-200m treble in Fukuoka last July.
His victory in the 200m dethroned defending world and Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook in a new world record time. He set new Asian records for each event.
Qin also won a fourth gold medal in the 4 x 100m mixed relay and silver in the 4 x 100m relay, and became the first Asian to be named as Male Swimmer of the Year by World Aquatics.
At the Hangzhou Asian Games last September and October, Qin again won all three individual breaststroke events and added two relay golds to end the Games with five gold medals and one silver. This rich medal haul earned him the male MVP award, as fellow swimmer Zhang Yufei collected the female MVP award.
Qin is one of six nominees for the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year award and his rivals for the title include Real Madrid’s England football star Jude Bellingham, British middle-distance runner Josh Kerr and American tennis player Coco Gauff.
In the Sport for Good category, ISF Cambodia has been nominated for its work in football. “In Cambodia, less than 5% of youth will finish high school,” Laureus states.
“The poverty many children live in not only strips them of their childhood but it also means that they miss out on an education and vital life skills that are taught through peer interaction and play. Through sport, education and community development programmes, ISF Cambodia strives to support young people towards a brighter future.”
The 25th Laureus World Sports Awards will take place at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid on April 22 and feature seven categories.
Source: https://www.laureus.com
