Chapter 519: Breakthrough of the Year Award

Chapter 519: Breakthrough of the Year Award

The Laurence red carpet lasted nearly two hours. Although the entire red carpet show was broadcast live, very few people watched it from start to finish. Viewers waited for athletes from their own countries or their favorite athletes to walk by, then stopped watching, or else they browsed photos or video clips online while doing something else.

The award ceremony officially began at 8 p.m. local time—2 a.m. Beijing time. In recent years, Laurence has favored Hollywood superstars as hosts, and this year was no exception, inviting the tough-guy Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson.

Dwayne Johnson comes from a wrestling family. In college, he was an American football player and won a national championship. At 26, he began his career in the World Wrestling Federation. He started his acting career in 2001 with *The Mummy Returns*, but it was the *Fast & Furious* series that truly brought him global fame and made him the highest-grossing male star in the world by 2016.

In a sense, Dwayne Johnson is also an athlete, and he has good eloquence—without a certain ability to speak, one couldn't claim to be running for office. All things considered, he was indeed quite suitable to host the Laurence Awards.

The opening was a stand-up comedy routine by Dwayne Johnson, of a fairly high standard and with good effect. He poked fun at the sports superstars present and absent, as well as events from the past year. As the brightest new star in the sports world that year, Meng Fan naturally became material for the comedy, appearing twice—once at the beginning and once at the end, creating a strong effect. Meng Fan was amused and applauded happily from his seat.

Besides the big-name host, world-class singers were also invited to perform. One of them was "the only designated diva of Shandong," Rihanna, who sang two songs: "We Found Love" (Weifang's Love) and "Towards the Sun" (Heart Toward Sunshine). She was also Meng Fan's favorite Western singer. In terms of trolling ability, even his sister Meng Caiwei at her peak was slightly inferior.

As Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan, two F1 legends, stepped onto the stage, it signaled that the first award would be presented by them.

The first award of the evening was the Best Comeback of the Year. Among the nominees was judoka Teddy Riner, who had taken a six-month break due to injury the year before and returned the previous year. At the start of his comeback, Teddy still dominated judo. If, if he hadn't encountered Meng Fan's sudden rise and been defeated twice by him, Teddy would have almost certainly won the Olympic gold, thus having a chance at the Comeback Award. But as it stood, he was the least likely to win among the six candidates.

Of course, even without Meng Fan, his chances were merely plausible, relatively low. Moreover, among the nominees was an athlete considered a sure winner: the legendary racing driver who had been in a coma for five years, finally awakened, and after two years of recovery, returned to the track. Although he hadn't achieved good results in the few races he participated in, just being able to compete was enough!

As expected, there was no surprise and no controversy.

When the racing driver stepped onto the stage, the entire audience rose, cheering for his legendary career and applauding his miraculous awakening. The cheers and applause were unending. Many athletes at the scene were in tears, and countless viewers watching the live broadcast were moved.

With this award presented, it touched the world and gave this year's Laurence a highlight; the buzz was undeniable.

The process of announcing, presenting, and accepting the award was quite fast. The host's interview with the racing driver was brief, but the interaction segment took considerable time, especially the exchanges between the presenters, special guests, and the racing driver, which were deeply moving.

Then came two non-major awards—the Sportsmanship Award and the Sport for Good Award. After that, one of the five major awards was presented: the Breakthrough of the Year Award.

The five major Laurence awards are selected by the Laureus World Sports Academy: Best Male Athlete, Best Female Athlete, Best Team, Best Breakthrough, and Best Comeback. Among these, the Best Male and Female Athlete awards carry the highest prestige, while the other three are not significantly different.

This year, among the six nominees for the Best Breakthrough Award, three had high chances of winning: the young Jamaican sprinter who won silver in the women's 100 meters at her first Olympics, the basketball star who broke the NBA single-season three-point record, and the absolute dominator in weightlifting, wrestling, and judo. The other three came from swimming, cycling, and F1.

The presenters for the Best Breakthrough Award were French judo legend David and American boxing legend Marvin. After stepping onto the stage, they introduced themselves and exchanged greetings. Marvin asked with a smile, "David, tell me honestly, who did you vote for?"

All five major awards are decided by anonymous votes from Academy members.

David did not hesitate or evade: "Of course, Meng from China! He is the judoka most likely to win a Laurence. I definitely voted for him!" He added humorously, "Of course, if he were purely a judoka, I think I would have forced you to vote for him too, since you have many secrets in my hands."

"Oh my god! Then if I tell you I also voted for him, can you give my secrets back?"

"Did you really vote for him?"

"Really!"

"In that case... I might consider threatening you with your secrets next time."

With these jokes from the two legends, the award was announced. Marvin opened the envelope, his expression quite vivid, then handed it to David. David was stunned, then pulled out his glasses from his pocket to read it again, before shouting the name with great excitement: "Meng Fan! The winner of the Breakthrough of the Year Award is the judoka from China, Meng Fan!"

Marvin pointed at David and cursed something inaudible, probably scolding him for deliberately emphasizing Meng Fan's identity as a judoka.

To be honest, the two had no idea who the winner was before opening the envelope. But because of their earlier jokes, many thought they had known all along, giving the impression of "backroom dealings." Of course, even if the public thought so, they wouldn't care.

For David, this was a wonderful moment. Although the winner was not French judoka Teddy Riner, it was still a judoka, achieving a breakthrough for judo in this award—a shared honor!

(End of chapter)