Esther Vergeer, internationally known Dutch wheelchair tennis player, has, for the second time, been honored as The Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for 2007.
The award was presented by Laureus World Sports Academy members Ilie Nastase and Marcel Desailly at a ceremony held at the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Esther is widely recognized as one of the greatest wheelchair tennis players of all time and has dominated the sport for many years. In fact, in 2007, she won all her singles matches during the year, four Grand Slam tournaments, remained number one in the singles rankings, and won the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters. She was also a member of the Dutch women’s team that won the World Team Cup.
Vergeer was the winner of the 2002 Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability Award and was a nominee in 2006 and 2007. After winning the award, Esther stated, "I am really honored to receive this award for the second time today and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to achieve this.”
Other nominees were Daniel Dias (Swimming, Brazil), Michael Teuber (Cycling, Germany), Sarah Storey (Cycling, Great Britain), and Darren Kenny (Cycling, Great Britain). Additionally, Paralympic Medal-winner Oscar Pistorius (Athletics, South Africa) was nominated in the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year category.
The prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards honor the world's best sportsmen and women by celebrating athletic excellence each year. Winners are selected by a jury composed of members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. The awards are given in a range of categories, including World Sportsman and World Sportswoman of the Year, World Team of the Year, World Breakthrough of the Year, World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability and World Action Sportsperson of the Year.
The awards ceremony is televised globally and was hosted by television star Cuba Gooding Jr. and featured many well-known personalities, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, actress Kim Cattrall, and famed ballet dancer, Uliana Lopatkina.
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