Max Verstappen failed to win the ‘World Sports Star of the Year’ award. The Dutchman was nominated, but had to hand the title to Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore.
The special award, which is awarded annually to the most impressive athlete outside England, did not go to the 24-year-old Dutchman. Verstappen clinched his first career world title by beating Briton Lewis Hamilton last week, but it was not enough to win the prize on the BBC.
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While last year it was the boxer Khabib Nurmagomedov who took home the prize, this year the horseman Blackmore. He was nominated alongside Verstappen and four other athletes. In addition to Verstappen, Novak Djokovic (tennis), Tom Brady (American Football), Saul Alvarez (boxing), and Elaine Thompson-Herar (athletics) missed the award from the BBC.
No third F1 driver
The award that has been given since 1960, this time did not fall prey to a Formula 1 driver for the third time. Previously, Niki Lauda took home the award in 1977 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013. The record holder is tennis player Roger Federer, he won the prize no less than four times and is followed by sprinter Usain Bolt and boxer Muhammed Ali, they won three times.
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