Ryan Sheckler, star of the reality show,
Life of Ryan, has been named among the nominees for this year's Laureus World Sports Awards. The short list of candidates was announced Thursday, January 24, in London, following a balloting process of selection done by media men and women from all around the world.
The focus of MTV's
Life of Ryan, Sheckler is in the running for the title of World Action Sportsperson of the year.
Aside from starring in his own reality program, Sheckler has also risen through the ranks of extreme sports, particularly in the field of skateboarding. He is a three-time Dew Tour Champion, as well as an X Games gold medalist. The world media picked Sheckler among its nominees for the World Action Spokesperson award, for his dominance in the Park category in skateboarding on the Action Sports Tour.
Life of Ryan's Sheckler is up against four other candidates - two Australians, one Brit and a fellow American. Aussie Mick Fanning is the 2007 Surfing World Tour champion, while his compatriot, 19-year old Stephanie Gilmore, is the first surfer ever to win a World Surfing Championship as a rookie. The UK's Aaron Hadlow is the PKRA kiteboarding world tour champion for a fourth consecutive time, while American Shaun White is a gold medalist in snowboarding and skateboarding in the Winter and Summer X Games.
“Two American legends have been nominated for the Laureus World Action Sports Award. Ryan Sheckler's arsenal of tricks, clean airs and speed helped him dominate the skateboard Park category on the 2007 Action Sports Tour. Now 17, Sheckler won the Panasonic Open, the Right Guard Open and the Toyota Challenge while notching seconds in the Tour's other two events,” a press release from the International Sports Movement said.
The 2008 Laureus World Sports Awards will take place on February 18 at the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia.
-Rosario Santiago, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: www.laureus.com, www.sportsfeatures.com
(Image Courtesy of www.laureus.com)