Laureus Awards: Francesco Bagnaia Nominated for Comeback of the Year
- AP Photo/Antonio Calanni
VIVA – Ducati racer Francesco Bagnaia has been nominated for the Laureus Awards as World Comeback of the Year because of the 91 points he achieved to win his first MotoGP World Championship. As reported from the official MotoGP website on Tuesday, the racer will compete with athletes from various sports.
The 2023 Laureus World Comeback of the Year award will also be contested by legendary golfer Tiger Woods who returned after a car accident that left him seriously injured for 14 months.
In addition, there is also basketball athlete Klay Thompson who missed two full seasons due to injury before returning to win his fourth NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors.
Francesco Bagnaia juara MotoGP 2022
- AP Photo/Alberto Saiz
Furthermore, there is a footballer Christian Eriksen who returned to competition in February 2022 after collapsing on the pitch and suffering a heart attack during a UEFA Euro 2020 match. Then, Dutch cyclist and 2022 Tour de France Femmes winner Annemiek van Vleuten and Norwegian athletics star Jakob Ingebrigtsen are also on the nomination list.
On the other hand, several MotoGP riders have also received Laureus Awards before. Valentino Rossi has the honor of winning three such awards for his illustrious career in 2006, 2011, and 2022.
In 2006, Rossi was named Sports Inspiration, then in 2011 he earned the "comeback" award, and in 2022 Rossi was honored as a sports icon. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez won the 2014 World Breakthrough Award after winning the premier class title in his rookie season.
