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Former Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson, who is a member of the Laureus Awards voting panel, recently claimed that it was easy for him to vote in the World Sportsman of the Year category.
Laureus Sport nominated 6 athletes for the Sportsman of the Year 2023 awards. The list included American sprinting sensation Noah Lyles, Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi, Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland, Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic, and Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis.
All 6 nominees had an exceptional season in 2023, making it tough to choose one for the award. However, Michael Johnson claimed that it had been easy for him to vote for one.
The results of the Laureus Sportsman of the Year awards will be released on 22nd April. Building the excitement ahead of the results, the organization posted a picture of the six global stars on X (formerly Twitter). They wrote:
"This week, our focus turns to the six Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Nominees. Click on the link below to read more about their achievements in 2023 and enjoy seeing their work across our channels this week."
Replying to the post, Johnson claimed that it was always a hard decision for him to vote for one athlete as a member of the voting committee of Laureus. However, he added that the Laureus Sportsman of the Year category had been easy for him this year.
"As a Laureus member voting for athlete of the year is always hard. This year this category was easy for me!", said Johnson.
While the 4x Olympic Champion didn't reveal whom he had voted for, Johnson might have picked Noah Lyles. The 26-year-old had the most dominant year of his career in 2023, winning triple gold at the Budapest World Championships.
When did Michael Johnson join Laureus Sports?
After winning four Olympic gold medals and setting multiple world records, Michael Johnson announced his retirement in 2001. He became a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy the same year.
Johnson has been a regular part of the voting committee since then and has taken part in several projects as well. According to the American legend, the COBAP Aids project in Uganda had the most effect on him.
Johnson claimed that being a Westerner, he had no idea about the suffering in countries like Uganda. Expressing appreciation for the governing body, he said:
"The story of COBAP is a classic example of what Laureus is all about". (via Laureus Sports)
