Rishabh Pant is among six athletes nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. The nomination points towards the epic comeback Pant made from a horrific car crash in late December 2022. Pant is now back, doing his job in the world of cricket.
Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant was nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award on Monday, giving praise to his epic comeback journey from a near-fatal car accident he suffered more than two years ago.
Pant is among the legendary club of athletes nominated for the honour, which features Gymnast Rebeca Andrade, Swimmer Caeleb Dressel, Apline Skiing star Lara Gut-Behrami, MotoGP star Marc Marquez and Simmer Ariarne Titmus.
Pant reflected on his nomination. “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 in being positive and happy in every situation, trusting the power of self-belief and resilience to deal with every challenge,” he said.
“When I survived the near-fatal car crash, I realised that I have 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,” Pant added.
Pant made a remarkable recovery from the horrific car crash that he suffered in late December 2022. He survived some serious injuries to show his willpower and determination for life. While it not clear whether Pant would make a comeback to international cricket again or not, he not only returned but has been doing a splendid job, too.
Pant won the T20 World Cup 2024 with the Indian team and has also made a successful return to Test cricket, where he has scored two centuries since his comeback.
For the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, Spanish Tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz, Pole Vault icon Mondo Duplantis, Swimming and cycling stars Leon Marchand and Tadej Pogacar and Formula 1 sensation Max Verstappen are nominated.
For the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Gymnast icon Simone Biles, Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, Athletics icons Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan and football star Aitna Bonmati have been nominated.
