Catherine Debrunner and Kiara Rodriguez shortlisted for 2026 Laureus Awards

Para athletics stars Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) and Kiara Rodriguez (Ecuador) have been shortlisted for the 2026 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.

This is Debrunner’s third nomination – she won the award in 2023 – and the first for Rodriguez.

The Laureus World Sports Academy announced the six candidates on Tuesday, 3 March. Winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain, on 20 April. Joining Debrunner and Rodriguez on the shortlist are Para swimmers Gabriel Araujo (Brazil), Simone Barlaam (Italy) and David Kratochvil (Czechia), along with Para ice hockey player Kelsey DiClaudio (USA).

The Laureus Academy highlighted Debrunner’s five gold medals at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in India (100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m).

✨ 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

“Across the calendar year, Debrunner set world records in the women’s 100m T53, 400m T53, 1500m T53/54 and 5000m T53/54. She now holds the world record in every distance in which she competes. But that wasn’t the end of her achievements: she also competed in the World Marathon Majors Series, winning in Tokyo and London,” the announcement read.

For Rodriguez, the Laureus Academy noted:

“A Paralympic champion and multiple world champion in the 100m and long jump (T47), this 23-year-old from Ecuador added the 200m to her domain at the World Para Athletics Championships, claiming a third gold in New Delhi, India, and doing so in world record time. She also added another world record in the long jump, set at the Cali 2025 Grand Prix.”

Rodriguez, the first Ecuadorian athlete ever nominated, celebrated the news on social media:

“From Ecuador to the world. This nomination is not only a recognition to my career, but to Para sport. It is a message to every boy and girl who dreams big. It is Ecuador telling the world: we are here.”

More information about the Laureus Awards can be found here.