Michelle Wie Wins Laureus Award

“Golf Genius” Michelle Wie (Wie Seong-mi, 14 years old) was awarded the Laureus Sports Award for Newcomer of the Year.

Wie became the youngest-ever winner of the title. The Laureus Sports Award was selected by 400 sports reporters in over 70 countries worldwide in Lisbon, Portugal on May 11.

Wie joined seven LPGA events and made the cut six times last year, including a win in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Linx Championship, and was given the great honor of being selected as the “New Face” of 2003 World Sports among all men’s and women’s sports.

The Laureus Sports Award was created by international motor company, Daimler Chrysler, and the Swiss Richemont Group, which owns famous luxury brands such as Cartier, and has been awarded from 1999.

The Sportsman of the Year award went to the “Emperor of Car Racing,” Michael Schumacher of Germany. He has won the award two times over the last three years.

Having been nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year award for the last two consecutive years, “Golf Queen” Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) was awarded at last in her 3rd challenge. She had most wins, six, on the U.S. LPGA tour, and competed against men for the first time in 58 years, giving her good marks.

Also, England’s Rugby Union Team was selected as Team of the Year, and a male skier Hermann Maier (Austria), who won a championship in the World Cup after rehabilitation training because of a horrific motorcycle accident in 2001, won the Comeback of the Year award.

Young-Sik Ahn ysahn@donga.com