Omara Durand nominated for the Laureus Awards

January 17, 2020

The outstanding Cuban Paralympic athlete Omara Durand has been nominated for the 2020 Laureus Awards, which recognize the best athletes of the year.

The world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meters in the T-12 category, visually impaired, won all three events at the World Championship held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as well as at the Pan American Paralympic Games in Lima, Peru.

In addition to Omara, nominated in the category of athletes with disabilities are Dutch wheelchair tennis champion Diede de Groot, American Paralympic skier and cyclist Oksana Masters, Dutch paratriathlete Jetze Plat, Swiss marathon star Manuela Schär and British paraswimmer Alice Tai, according to Cubadebate.

Other contenders for the award, in the best male athlete category, are Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal; British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton; Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, Spanish motorcycle racer Marc Márquez, American golfer Tiger Woods, and Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, the first athlete to run a marathon in less than two hours.

Spanish newspaper Marca points out that among the women, candidates include American gymnast Simone Biles, champion in Stuttgart; Allyson Felix (USA) and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce (JAM), in athletics, and footballer Megan Rapinoe (USA).

In the best team of the year category stand out Spain's national basketball team, the Raptors basketball club (the first Canadian franchise to win the NBA in the United States), the United States women's soccer team, Liverpool f.c. of English football, the Mercedes racing team, and the South Africa rugby team.

Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal is vying for the award as best breakthrough athlete, after winning the Tour de France. Joining him are tennis players Coco Gauff (USA) and Blanca Andreescu (CAN).