Pogacar, Pidcock, Yates and Bernal make cycling’s mark on Laureus 2026 shortlist

Pogačar has been nominated once again for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, earning a place on the shortlist for the second time in a row and lining up alongside some of the biggest names in global sport. 

The Slovenian’s candidacy follows another standout season, shaped by top-level performances at the Tour de France and across cycling’s most prestigious one-day races. He will go up against a star-studded shortlist featuring Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis, tennis rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and MotoGP world champion Marc Márquez, with Duplantis returning as the reigning Laureus Sportsman of the Year after taking the title last season.

Tom Pidcock is back on the shortlist for the Action Sportsperson of the Year award, having claimed the prize twelve months ago. His previous triumph was driven in large part by his Olympic success in 2024, and he has remained firmly in contention thanks to another season that highlighted his rare ability to excel across disciplines. The Briton secured the European mountain bike title and also reached the podium at the Vuelta a España.

The World Comeback of the Year category features two very different but equally compelling narratives. 

Simon Yates has been nominated following his Giro d’Italia triumph in 2025, a victory layered with personal and sporting significance. Years earlier, he had watched a dominant position in the same race collapse spectacularly on the Colle delle Finestre, the climb that came to symbolise one of the most painful chapters of his career. In 2025, it was on that very same mountain that he turned the narrative on its head, riding to victory and, in doing so, claiming redemption.

In its press release, the organisation described Yates’ return as “a tale of mental resilience.”

Later that summer, Yates added a Tour de France stage win while riding in support of Jonas Vingegaard. Then, in January 2026, on the eve of a new campaign, Yates stunned the cycling world by announcing his immediate retirement, explaining that he could no longer reconcile himself with the demands and sacrifices of life as a professional rider.

Egan Bernal’s nomination centres on a different kind of recovery. The Colombian, already a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion earlier in his career, suffered multiple spinal injuries in a training crash in 2022. His stage victory at the Vuelta a España marked his first major win since that accident and symbolised the long process of his comeback.

Yates and Bernal line-up alongside American tennis player Amanda Anisimova, golfer Rory McIlroy, Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas and England football captain Leah Williamson, all recognised for returning to the top after injury or personal setbacks.

The winners will be announced at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, set to take place in Madrid on April 20.