‘Mind‑blowing’: Multi‑talented Simone Barlaam back on the Laureus stage

Simone Barlaam is the first Italian Para athlete to earn two nominations for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards – and could become only the second to win the Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award, following Paralympic legend and close friend Beatrice “Bebe” Vio. Yet the Para swimming star admits the recognition still feels surreal.

“Seeing Paralympic sport represented in a prestigious event such as the Laureus World Sports Awards is always incredible. To think that I’m one of the nominees for an award that has seen legends such as Daniel Dias, Natalie Du Toit, Marcel Hug, Oksana Masters, Tatyana McFadden and many others in the past is mind-blowing to me,” said Barlaam, nominated for his four gold medals at last year’s World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.

Barlaam is one of the two Italian athletes who can leave Madrid with a statuette on 20 April, alongside world No.1 men’s tennis player Jannik Sinner. In the Spanish capital, he will reunite with both Sinner and Laureus Ambassador Bebe Vio once again – two figures he sees as part of a remarkable generation of Italian athletes.

“I’ve known Bebe for years, she’s a good friend of mine and an icon of Italian Sport. I also got the chance to meet Sinner after he won the ATP Finals in Turin in 2024,” Barlaam said. “His case is the perfect example of why it is so important to witness this generation of incredible Italian athletes. In five years, the registered players of the Italian Tennis Federation increased by an astonishing 136%. This happened, also, thanks to Jannik’s results. I think and I hope that this generation of Italian athletes, with its global recognition, will do good to our sport and to our country.”

A multi-talented athlete, Barlaam has even drawn Sinner – and himself – in a comic series created to support the promotion of the Paralympic Winter Games in his hometown Milan, where Sinner served as an ambassador of the Milano Cortina 2026 Volunteer Programme. 

🏊‍♂️ From the Pool to the Drawing Board! 🖌️🎨

🏅 Simone Barlaam isn’t just a four-time Paralympic champion — he’s also flexing his creative muscles to support the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026! pic.twitter.com/hugqCuVXwU

— Para Swimming (@Para_swimming) November 18, 2024

It is one of many artistic collaborations that help Barlaam explore life beyond the pool.

“It helps me discover myself – what I like, how I react to certain emotions. As an athlete it’s easy to get so caught up in what you do that sports becomes the only thing you know. Then one day, for whatever reason, you won’t be able to perform like before, and once you lose your sport you also lose your identity. And you start to feel lost, without the daily routine that marked your life up to that point. That’s why it is so important to have interests outside of sport, without interfering with training and competition. Sport, like life, is unpredictable, and we as humans are made of multitudes.”

Returning to the Laureus Awards for the second time – he was also nominated in 2024 –, Barlaam reflects on how few stages still exist where Para and non-Para athletes share the spotlight. 

“One of the things that I would like to see is the media focusing on athletic performance rather than athletes’ backstories. For years, that was the centre of communication about Para sports. If that took us to where we are today, it obviously worked. But now that storytelling feels outdated. As times change, we need to change as well.”

He also hopes to see Para sports attracting young people in different areas and stronger institutional support. 

“I’d like to see more young professionals interested in the institutional and administrative aspects of Para sports,” Barlaam said. “[And] more structures and sport venues dedicated to the preparation of Para athletes. There are so many academical studies that can start from Para sports and improve the quality of life of everyone, not just athletes.”

The Award winners will be selected by the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy and revealed at a gala event to be held at the Cibeles Palace in Madrid on 20 April.

A golden meet 🥇

Four gold medals at the World @Para_swimming Championships in 2025 for Simone Barlaam. 23 world titles in his career so far.

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Nominee#Laureus26 | @Paralympics pic.twitter.com/WYnGA2Kp3H

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) March 16, 2026

Barlaam Facts & Figures

Hometown: Milan, Italy

Favourite football team: AC Milan

International debut: 2017, Para Swimming World Series in Sheffield (Great Britain).

Paralympic medals:  eight (four gold, three silver and one bronze) across two Games (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024)

World Championships title: 23 across five editions (Mexico City 2017, London 2019, Madeira 2022, Manchester 2023 and Singapore 2025).

If he could switch places with another Italian for a day: “I’m not sure. There are many that I would love to try. Maybe a team sport, since I’ve been swimming my whole life. Or maybe a motor sport like F1 with Andrea Kimi Antonelli – even though I won’t perform has good as him obviously.”