Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi and his back-to-back World Cup winning team have secured nominations for the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi and his back-to-back World Cup winning team have secured nominations for the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
The Boks are up for the World Team of the Year Award, while Kolisi, who recovered from a serious knee injury to lead his country to glory at France 2023, is nominated for the World Comeback of the Year Award.
The Bokke secured their fourth World Cup title by defeating the All Blacks 12-11 at the Stade de France.
Kolisi’s personal journey to this triumph was equally extraordinary, as he battled back from an ACL injury in just 119 days to lead the team in the tournament opener against Scotland.
Reflecting on the nominations, Kolisi says: “This is such an overwhelming moment for me – to be nominated with the Springboks, and also individually for Comeback of the Year.
“I was lucky enough to be captain when we won Team of the Year [in 2020]. I’m hoping we can win it again.
“It was a close thing whether I would recover from injury in time to play in the World Cup. I made it, so it’s a very special personal moment.”
The Boks are up against Spain’s women’s football team, Manchester City; the European Ryder Cup team, Oracle Red Bull Racing Team, and Germany’ men’s basketball team.
Challenging Kolisi are gymnast Simone Biles, footballer Sebastien Haller, basketballer Jamal Murray, heptathlon star Katarina Johnson-Thompson and tennis ace Marketa Vondrousova.
The winners will be announced on April 22.
Voice Sports Team
