Aussies line up to win Laureus Awards

Australian surfer Stephanie Gilmore has every reason to hope it will be third time
lucky this week at the Laureus World Sport Awards.

And even though the nominees for the various 2010 Laureus awards are a who's who of
world sport, no-one is in better current form than Gilmore.
The Gold Coaster arrived in the UAE capital only days after getting her campaign for
a fourth straight world title off to the best possible start with victory in the
Roxy Pro on her home break at Snapper Rocks.
Gilmore, 22, has been nominated for the Laureus world action sportsperson of the
year after each of her three world crowns.
In the past two years, she was pipped at the post by the two biggest names in US
action sport - surfing legend Kelly Slater and snowboarder Shaun White, the two-time
Olympic half-pipe champion.
Neither is in the six-strong field this year, although Gilmore will need to see off
the considerable challenge of countryman Mick Fanning, who won his second men's
world surfing crown in 2009.
With wheelchair athletes Kurt Fearnley and Justin Eveson also in the running for the
world sportsperson of the year with a disability title, the Australian contingent
are well-placed to end a six-year duck in the prestigious annual awards.
Fearnley enjoyed a remarkable 2009, going unbeaten in the marathon including
big-city race victories in Chicago, London, Paris, Seoul and Sydney.
He also crawled the 96km Kokoda Track in November.
Eveson is a wheelchair basketballer who won gold medals last year in the Australian
and Turkish national leagues and at the European Champions Cup.
Australian athletes took home trophies in each of the first five years of the
Laureus awards, topped by Cathy Freeman, who was voted world sportswoman of the year
in 2001 for her remarkable 400m triumph at the Sydney Olympics.
Louise Sauvage (2000) and Michael Milton (2003) are former winners of the
sportsperson of the year with a disability, the all-conquering Australian cricketers
were voted team of the year in 2002 and surfer Layne Beachley claimed the
alternative sportsperson of the year crown in 2004.
Beachley - whose remarkable tally of seven women's world surfing titles is a great
motivation for Gilmore - will be cheering on all the Australian finalists in Abu
Dhabi.
"This is a great tribute to Australian surfing," said Beachley after the nominees
were announced.
"I am delighted that the world's media have acknowledged this in nominating
Stephanie and Mick for this award, which meant so much to me when I won it."
Multiple Olympic and world sprint champion Usain Bolt and four-time former winner
Roger Federer are again the favourites for the sportsman of the year award, while
tennis star Serena Williams and track diva Sanya Richards are among the leading
contenders for the sportswoman's award.
The winners will be announced on Wednesday evening (early Thursday morning AEDT).