Fourteen-year-old Australian skateboarding prodigy Arisa Trew had her name up in lights at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
Trew, a precocious skateboarding talent from the Gold Coast who’s on track to compete at the Paris Olympics, took out the Laureus Awards World Action Sportsperson of the Year prize at a dazzling ceremony in Madrid in Monday.
She was honoured for becoming the first female to land a 720, a trick involving two full rotations in mid-air, during competition, stunning the skating world in Salt Lake City in June last year. She was 13 at the time.
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The 720 was first performed successfully by skating legend Tony Hawk in 1985.
Trew repeated the incredible trick in California in July, en route to claiming gold in the park competition at the X Games. She also won X Games gold in the vert competition.
Remarkably, Trew has a sister who’s ranked higher than her in the World Skate park standings. Ruby, 15, is ranked eighth and Arisa 11th.
The talented sisters are expected to qualify for the Paris 2024 park competition.
“It’s a really big achievement for me because I didn’t really think I would even be here,” said Arisa, who stole attention in Madrid by hitting the red carpet with her skateboard.
“He [Hawk] is one of my idols and then when I landed it in front of him I was just so happy because he invented the trick.”
Arisa Trew was the only Australian winner at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.
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Novak Djokovic took out World Sportsman of the Year, having won the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and US Open as he extended his record number of singles grand slam titles to 24. Djokovic also finished the year as the world No.1.
Spanish football star Aitana Bonmati won World Sportswoman of the Year. She played a crucial role in Spain winning the FIFA World Cup, and won last year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin award.
This year marked the 25th edition of the famous sports awards ceremony.
Laureus World Sports Awards winners
World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic
World Sportswoman of the Year: Aitana Bonmati
World Team of the Year: Spain’s FIFA Women’s World Cup team
World Breakthrough of the Year: Jude Bellingham
World Comeback of the Year: Simone Biles
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Diede de Groot
World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Arisa Trew
Sport for Good: Rafa Nadal Foundation
