Not a single Australian gets a gong at sport’s biggest awards night despite Emma McKeown winning SEVEN Olympic medals, Ash Barty ruling women’s tennis and Dylan Alcott claiming an historic Golden Slam
- McKeown and Barty were favourites for Laureus Sportswoman of the Year title
- They lost to Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah in a shock result
- Ariarne Titmus was also brushed for World Breakthrough of the Year Award
- Not even a Golden Slam could get wheelchair tennis star Alcott across the line
Australia’s leading women athletes including Ash Barty, Emma McKeown and Ariarne Titmus have been sensationally snubbed on the world’s biggest stage despite crushing their respective sports in 2021.
The Laureus titles are regarded as the most prestigious awards in world sport and ‘honours the greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year’.
Not even seven Olympic medals could land Emma McKeown the highest award in world sport
But Aussie sport fans have been left scratching their heads and wondering exactly how big a year is required to win the award after Barty and McKeown missed out on the top gong for Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.
Barty was the toast of Australian sport in 2021 after winning the Yarra Valley Classic, Miami Open, Stuttgart Open, Cincinnati Open and crowning it all with victory at The Championships at Wimbledon. She backed that up with a phenomenal victory at the Australian Open before retiring from the sport.
Emma McKeon dominated the pool at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with a staggering seven medals including gold in the women’s 4x100m relay, the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and women’s 4x100m mixed relay and bronze in the 100m butterfly, women’s 4x200m relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Ash Barty dominated tennis in 2021 before retiring but was also snubbed for the top gong
Amazingly, the top gong went to Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah who claimed three gold medals in Tokyo. Reaching for the calculator, that is four fewer medals than McKeon. Both Mckeown and Barty were rated the No.1 and No.2 contenders for the award, but both missed out to Thompson-Herah who came from the clouds to win the honour.
Sam Kerr had an emormous year for Chelsea and the Matildas but was not even nominated
Football star Sam Kerr can consider herself unlucky to not even be nominated. She became the highest-ever goal-scorer for the Matildas when she booted her 48th goal at the Tokyo Olympics and hauled the team on her back and scored seven goals before they ultimately lost to the United States in the bronze medal match.
She was also player of the match and scored a brace for Chelsea in the 2020–21 FA Cup final against Arsenal, helping her team secure the domestic quadruple of the 2020–21 season – the first English women’s club to achieve that feat.
Other honourable mentions that couldn’t get a nomination include Aussie women cricke players Beth Mooney who was the leading woman cricketer in the world in the 2021 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and gold medal-winning para-athlete and world record-holder Madison De Rozario.
Titmus was the feel-good story of 2021 when she stormed home to beat Kate Ladecky – TWICE
The Aussie women weren’t only snubbed for the main award, Ariarne Titmus was very unlucky to not secure victory in the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award category.
We might be biased, but it doesn’t get much better than a teenage Titmus beating American superstar Katie Ledecky in both the 200m and 400m freestyle events at the Tokyo Olympics. She is the undisputed No.1 in the world as a result, but lost to British teenager Emma Raducanu who claimed the US Open.
Alcott breaks down as he realises his amazing career has come to an end at the Aussie Open
It gets worse. Dylan Alcott became the first man in tennis history to claim a Golden Slam, doing a shooey and promptly retiring from the sport. It was not enough for him to win the World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award which went to Swiss para-athlete Marcel Hug instead.