Egan Bernal takes Laureus World Sports Award alongside Lionel Messi and Simone Biles
The Tour de France winner is the first cyclist to win since Lance Armstrong
Egan Bernal was crowned at the Laureus World Sports Award alongside some of the biggest stars in the world, including Simone Biles, Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi.
The 23-year-old Colombian was given the World Breakthrough of the Year award after winning the 2019 Tour de France, in only his second year of WorldTour racing.
Bernal wasn’t present at the award ceremony in Berlin on Monday night (February 17) as he had just finished racing Tour Colombia the previous day, but was named as the winner by retired Classics superstar Fabian Cancellara.
Team Ineos rider Bernal said: “It was a pleasure to be nominated as the winner of the Laureus awards.
“It’s a really big result for me and for my career. I’m really happy, it’s something I will not forget.
“I hope to win again in the future.”
The Laureus Award’s citation for Bernal said: “At 22, was the youngest winner of the Tour de France for 110 years, and the first Colombian to win cycling’s greatest prize.
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“He was the youngest member of the 155-strong peloton and it was only his second three-week classic event.”
Bernal is the first cyclist to win at the Laureus Awards since Lance Armstrong was given the Sportsman of the Year prize in 2003, having already won the Comeback of the Year at the inaugural edition in 2003.
Other winners of the 2020 ceremony include Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and footballer Lionel Messi, who became the first ever joint winners of the Sportsman of the Year Awards.
>>> Why Chris Froome shouldn’t be dismissed from the Tour de France reckoning
Gymnast Simone Biles took Sportswoman of the Year for a second time, after winning five gold medals in the World Championships and becoming the most decorated gymnast in Worlds history.
Bernal kicked off 2020 in his home race, the Tour Colombia, where he finished fourth overall, as he looks to defend his Tour de France title in the summer.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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