This weekend, Brazilian Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias was honored at the Laureus World Sports Awards, winning the World Sportsperson with a Disability Award.
Dias scored seven gold medals and one silver at the 2015 IPC World Swimming Championships in Glasgow. He currently holds 10 S5 long course world records and another 10 S5 short course world records.
This is the third time Dias has won the award. He first won the title in 2009, for scoring more medals in the 2008 Paralympics than any other Paralympic or Olympic athlete (four gold, four silver, one bronze), and in 2012, for winning six gold medals in the 2012 Olympics, all in world record time.
“This is another great honor for me and gives me great encouragement, as we are now in the build-up to the Paralympic Games in Rio,” Dias said. “To think I have won win three Laureus Awards, something only managed by other sportsmen like Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, and Kelly Slater, is quite overwhelming.”
Katie Ledecky, Adam Peaty, and Michael Phelps were each nominated for awards as well, although they didn’t end up winning. Ledecky was nominated in the “World Sportsperson of the Year” category, which awarded to tennis all-star Serena Williams. Phelps was nominated for the “World Comeback of the Year” category, which was awarded to New Zealand rugby player Dan Carter. To round out the swimmers, Peaty was in the “World Breakthrough of the Year” category, which went to golfer Jordan Spieth.
The Laureus World Sports Awards is the premier global sports awards honoring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. A jury of athletic legends choose the winners each year. The 2016 awards ceremony was held in Berlin.
Laureus has posted an album of photos from the event, which you can view here.
