Schumacher wins second world sportsman of year title

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER, the unchallenged master of motor sport, has been named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the second time.

For the Ferrari driver, who also won in 2002, it was his fourth nomination in five years and acknowledges his total domination of Formula One.

There was an enthusiastic reception at the Awards Ceremony at the Centro Cultural de Belem on the Lisbon coast for 14-year-old American golfer Michelle Wie, who was named World Newcomer of the Year.

And in a double triumph for golf, Sweden's Annika Sorenstam won the Sportswoman of the Year Award.

The England Rugby Union Team's great victory in the World Cup in November won them the World Team of the Year Award. Austrian skier Hermann Maier was honoured with the World Comeback of the Year Award for his World Cup victory after nearly losing a leg in a motor cycle accident.

The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury the 41 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Among these legends of sport who were in Estoril were Giacomo Agostini, Severiano Ballesteros, Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sergey Bubka, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Yaping Deng, Kapil Dev, Emerson Fittipaldi, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tony Hawk, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, John McEnroe, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Gary Player, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson, Alberto Tomba and Katarina Witt.

The Award winners

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Michael Schumacher

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Annika Sorenstam

Laureus World Team of the Year: England Men's Rugby Union Team

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Hermann Maier

Laureus World Newcomer of the Year: Michelle Wie

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Earle Connor

Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year: Layne Beachley.