The traditional Laureus Award, known as the Oscar of sport, honored this Monday (20) the athletes who were protagonists throughout 2025, in different categories. Gabriel Araújo, known as Gabrielzinho, was elected Paralympic Athlete of the Year and guaranteed the honor for Brazil, elevated to the level of Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, elected athletes of the year.
“Good evening everyone. I want to thank God and my family for everything we are building. This award, God willing, will be the first of many. Let’s continue making history”, said the 24-year-old miner.
Owner of five Olympic golds and one silverGabrielzinho piled up relevant achievements throughout 2025. He was World Cup champion for the third consecutive time and had three gold medals at the World Championships, in the 200 meter freestyle and in the 50m and 100m backstroke.
Three other names from the country competed in Laureus categories and did not win the statuette. THE Promising Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca competed for the Newcomer of the Year award, the winner of which was Lando Norris, current Formula 1 champion.
A skateboarder Rayssa Leal, who won her fourth Street League Skateboard (SLS) title in 2025 – the main street league in the world -, and Yago Dora, world surfing champion for the first time last season, were nominated for Best Extreme Sports Athlete. The winner, however, was American snowboarder Chloe Kim.
One of the highlights of the awards ceremony was the tribute to Romanian Nadia Comaneci, who revolutionized artistic gymnastics and has nine Olympic medals. She received the Lifetime Achievement award from Simone Biles, another legend of the sport, and was in tears with so much emotion.
“Sport is also education: getting up when you fall, knowing how to deal with things when you’re sad. Every half century, sport gains an icon, and Simone, you are incredible. You brought up the issue of mental health, something that no one talked about”, commented Comaneci.
A This year’s edition gave a lot of relevance to football, the sport that had the most winners. Paris Saint-Germain was named Team of the Year and striker Lamine Yamal, from the Spanish national team and Barcelona, won the Young Athlete of the Year award. Furthermore, German Toni Kross was honored as Sports Inspiration.
