Five-time Tour de France winning cyclist Lance Armstrong of the United States and six-time Formula One driving champion Michael Schumacher of Germany are on the list of nominees for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award for 2003.
Armstrong and Schumacher are nominated along with world number one tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland and swimmer Michael Phelps, a three-time world record holder. Motorcycling champion Valentino Rossi of Italy and English Rugby player Jonny Wilkinson are also in the running for the prize.
Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam and world number one women's tennis player Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium lead the candidates for Sportswoman of the year. Runners Maria Mutola of Mozambique and Paula Radcliffe of Britain are also nominated, as is U.S. tennis star Serena Williams.
In the team category, nominees include Champions League winning football club AC Milan of Italy, Australia's national cricket team, the English Rugby team, Ferrari's Formula One team, and the World Cup champion German women's football team.
NBA rookie sensation LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is nominated in the Newcomer of the Year category. World Cup ski overall champion Hermann Maier of Austria is nominated for the World Comeback of the Year award. Maier won the overall title this past season despite nearly losing his leg in a motorcycle accident two years ago.
The Laureus Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony in Estoril, Portugal May 10.
Some information for this report provided by AP.