What’s the big news?
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is in the running for the Laureus Comeback of the Year 2025, a global honour recognising the best return from adversity in sports.
Why is Pant nominated?
December 2022: Survived a near-fatal car crash, suffering severe injuries.
Nearly 2 Years Out: Multiple surgeries, long rehab.
2024 comeback:
Test Century vs Bangladesh – Matched M.S. Dhoni’s record for most Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.
T20 World Cup Winner – Key role in India’s triumph.
IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Became the most expensive player ever, signed by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore.
Pant on his journey:
“I felt my time was up. The comeback was a mental and physical battle. This nomination is a victory for faith and hard work.”
Who else is nominated?
Rebeca Andrade (Gymnastics) – Overcame ACL injury to win Olympic gold.
Caeleb Dressel (Swimming) – Came back from mental health struggles to claim gold.
Marc Marquez (MotoGP) – Overcame a major arm injury to win 3 Grands Prix.
Ariane Titmus (Swimming) – After surgery, she defended her 400m freestyle title, defeating McIntosh and Ledecky in Paris.
Lara Gut-Behrami (Alpine Skiing) – She won her second World Cup title at 32, eight years after her first.
Who decides the winner?
A panel of 69 sports legends from the Laureus Academy will vote.
When and where is the award ceremony?
Date: April 21, 2025
Location: Madrid, Spain