Kelsey DiClaudio nominated for 2026 Laureus Awards

USA’s world champion Kelsey DiClaudio has added another milestone to her career as one of six nominees to this year’s prestigious Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.

She has become only the second Para ice hockey player ever shortlisted, following her compatriot Declan Farmer in 2023.

DiClaudio has been nominated alongside Para swimmers David Kratochvil (Czechia), Gabriel Araujo (Brazil) and Simone Barlaam (Italy), as well as Para athletics stars Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) and Kiara Rodriguez (Ecuador). 

The Laureus World Sports Academy announced the six candidates on Tuesday, 3 March. The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain on 20 April.

DiClaudio was named MVP of the inaugural Women’s World Para Ice Hockey Championships held last year in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia. She was the tournament’s scoring leader with 11 goals and 15 points.

Four of those goals came in the USA’s 7-1 victory over Canada in the gold medal game, including the first-ever “Michigan” goal in Women’s World Championships history.

✨ The exceptional athletes nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award 2026 are:

✨ Gabriel Araújo
✨ Simone Barlaam
✨ Catherine Debrunner
✨ Kelsey DiClaudio
✨ David Kratochvíl
✨ Kiara Rodríguez#Laureus26 pic.twitter.com/MSHetSfWhz

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) March 3, 2026

The USA forward began playing Para ice hockey at age 8 and joined the women’s national team just five years later. In 2015, she became the first female player selected for the United States Development Team. She also competed alongside male athletes with the Pittsburgh Mighty Penguins Para ice hockey team.

As women’s Para ice hockey has grown, DiClaudio has helped lead Team USA to three consecutive titles at the Women’s World Challenge (2022, 2023 and 2024). The tournament paved the way for the first Women’s World Championships in Slovakia last year, a key milestone toward the sport’s future inclusion in the Paralympic Winter Games programme. 

More information about the 2026 Laureus Awards can be found here.