MADRID, Spain – Former LSU track & field athlete, Mondo Duplantis, claimed one of the biggest prizes in sports on Monday by being named the 2025 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.
It has been a busy 365 days for Duplantis but now he can finally add Laureus World Sportsman of the Year winner to his name after two previous years as a nominee. He becomes just the second track-and-field athlete to ever win the award, joining four-time winner Usain Bolt (09’, ’10, ’13, ’17). The LSU legend is also just the second former NCAA athlete to ever win the award, joining former Stanford golfer Tiger Woods.
Duplantis received the World Sportsman of the Year award at a ceremony in Madrid, Spain, on Monday. Other finalists for the award included four-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic tennis silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, four-time Olympic swimming champion Leon Marchand of France, three-time Tour de France winner and Olympic road cycling bronze medalist Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, and Dutch four-time Formula One winner Max Verstappen.
Tennis ace Novak Djokovic, who was named World Sportsman of the Year at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards, presented Duplantis with the trophy.
The past year has marked many accomplishments for the former Tiger. In 2024 at the Paris Olympics Duplantis claimed his second Olympic-gold medal in pole vault. Since the last award ceremony, Mondo has rewritten his pole vault World Record three times, most recently clearing 6.27 meters (20’ 6.75”) to win the 2025 All Star Perche. Off the track, Duplantis has also recently gotten engaged and hit the studio and dropped his first single, “Bop”.
For more information about the award and past winners of the prestigious Laureus honors, visit here.
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