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After making his comeback to international cricket after a life-threatening car crash, Rishabh Pant has now been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.
Rishabh Pant has been nominated for the Laureus Sport Comeback Of The Year Award. (AFP Photo)
Rishabh Pant’s comeback from a life-threatening car crash to return to India colours has been recognised as the star wicketkeeper-batter has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.
The ceremony will take place in Madrid, Spain, on April 21 and will be a celebration of the greatest athletic achievements of 2024 and the best sporting moments from the 25 years since the first Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000.
Nominees for the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards are decided after a vote by the world’s sports media.
Reflecting on his nomination, Rishabh Pant said, “I have always believed that the biggest virtue of life is to be grateful for everything God has blessed you with. Over the course of my life, I have focused on being positive and happy in every situation, trusting the power of self-belief and resilience to deal with every challenge. When I survived the near-fatal car crash, I realised that I had been fortunate to be a blessed soul, which inspired me to work extremely hard to undo everything and return to the pitch as a better version of myself with greater motivation. I knew that my return to normal life was only half the circle of my comeback, and I needed to complete the circle by being committed towards my dream of playing for India again. In 2024, I returned to play for the Indian Test team 629 days after the car crash, the year where we also won the ICC T20 World Cup”.
“My journey back to competitive cricket was incredibly challenging, so when the moment eventually arrived, the culmination of a long mental and physical battle was extremely fulfilling. It felt like a deeply personal moment, which was a victory of faith and rigorous routines. Being nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award is very special to me and an acknowledgement of the efforts of everyone involved in my comeback, right from my family, the BCCI, doctors, medical team, support staff, trainers and the fans. This Award is a symbol of inspiration and commitment, represented by some of the greatest stories in sports. Hence, it’s an honour for me to be nominated this year. I hope my story and those of the other nominated athletes can inspire sports fans and individuals across the world to never give up, have self-belief, and always be grateful and happy in life,” he added.
It will be up to the 69 sporting icons of the Laureus World Sports Academy to cast their votes and determine who will add their names to the exclusive list of those to receive a coveted Laureus Statuette.
Nominees For Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award
- Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) Gymnastics – battling back from injury, she won Olympic gold, two silvers and bronze
- Caeleb Dressel (USA) Swimming – overcame mental health issues to win two relay golds and a silver in Paris
- Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland) Alpine Skiing – won overall World Cup title for first time since 2015/16 season
- Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling – returned from serious injury to win three Grand Prix in 2024
- Rishabh Pant (India) Cricket – 629 days after a life-threatening car crash, returned to play for India Test team
- Ariarne Titmus (Australia) Swimming – defended her Olympic 400m freestyle title less than year after being diagnosed with a tumour
