Luca Ekler has teamed up with athletes like Lionel Messi or Max Verstappen.

Paralympic champion Luca Ekler is the first Hungarian in 18 years to be nominated for the Laureus Award, also known as the sportsman's Oscar.

In its announcement, the Hungarian Paralympic Committee (MPB) highlights: even entering the top 6 can be considered a huge success, and the athlete who won three gold and one silver medals at last year's World Para-Athletics Championships, and set a world record in the 200 and 400 meter sprint, is only the second Hungarian to prize in its 24-year history, who has succeeded in this.

"It is a particularly great pride for Hungary and the Hungarian Paralympic Team that the Paralympic, World and European champion Luca Ekler has also reached the finals in the Para-athlete of the Year category, and he can be there in Madrid at the award ceremony on April 22," wrote the MPB.

There was no Hungarian award winner yet, but in 2006 there was already a Hungarian finalist, also in the parasport category, Zsuzsanna Krajnyák, Paralympic silver and bronze medalist, world and European champion wheelchair fencer, was among the best.

On Monday, the organizers announced the lists of finalists for this year's Laureus World Sport Awards.

In the men's field, Lionel Messi and Max Verstappen are among the finalists, and in the women's field, Aitana Bonmatí and Iga Swiatek are also among the finalists.

The Laureus award ceremony has been organized since 2000, previously Nelson Mandela, José Manuel Barroso and II. Prince Albert of Monaco was also the main patron of the event. Tennis player Roger Federer has won the prize the most times - four times - but Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Michael Schumacher and Tiger Woods have also won the award twice.

At the gala, awards are given in different categories: Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Team of the Year, Discovery of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Disabled Athlete of the Year, Extreme Athlete of the Year, Sports Spirit of the Year Award (not every year) , Sports Good Service Award of the Year (not every year), Lifetime Achievement Award.

The other finalists in Luca Ekler's category are: 

Simone Barlaam (Italian, para-swimming), Danilo Chufarov (Ukrainian, para-swimming), Diede de Groot (Dutch, wheelchair tennis), Nicole Murray (New Zealand, para-cycling), Markus Rehm (German, para-athletics)

The candidates were compiled based on the votes of 1,400 sports journalists, and the final winners are decided by 71 members of the sports academy. The award ceremony will take place on April 22 in Madrid.

MTI

Cover photo: The winner Luca Ekler after the final of the long jump T38 category at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics postponed to 2021 due to the global coronavirus epidemic in the Olympic Stadium on August 31, 2021. The Hungarian competitor improved his own world record twice and won the gold medal. MTI/Koszticsák Solid