it's now time for a very special award of the laureus spirit of sport. an award that reminds us all why we are sports fans. who better to present this award than two men with more gold between them than the vending machine in the lobby. one has been heralded as britain's greatest olympian, sir steve redgrave, and the other is the olympian medalist that transformed hurdling forever. edwin moses. please welcome them both. >> the spirit of sport award is one of the discretionary awards

given by the laureus academy. it's not awarded every year. it's only given when the academy wants to honor a truly outstanding achievement. >> we may be known as sportsmen, but each and every one of us is foremost a sports fan. occasionally, you get great moments that really take your breath away, moments of dedication, perseverance, and iron will. >> take a look at this year's worthy winners. >> as a team sportrehe t's probably no finer competition than the ryder cup. it was my job to make sure that my team would leave celtic manor knowing that the captain had done everything in his power to get to 14.5 points. that ryder cup was brought down

the steps of the plane by corey pavin, and i said to myself that he's not going to take it home. >> the intensity level gets cranked up so much more on ryder cup. there's nothing quite like it. love the high five. i love the hugging and the show and the cheering and the whipping the crowd up. i love the ryder cup. >> got him to speak to the team. he is the ryder cup as far as i'm concerned. >> about a minute in, you can hear it coming back. >> it was passionate. it was emotional. never, ever give up. >> i don't care how bad you're done, how bad you're playing, just dig deep. >> go out and win for him. that was a shock to us, the way they came out and played. don't tell me this ryder cup means nothing to america. >> yeah!

>> they were holing more putts, they were hitting more fairways, they were hitting more greens, and they were doing the stuff we were supposed to be doing. >> steve stricker. >> he came in, and he was angry. >> there was disappointment. ian poulter was disappointed, so was his captain. his captain was disappointed, very. >> people were shutting the lockers and shouting. people were going crazy. >> i didn't mine the locker room being passionate suddenly. come on, this is not working. this is what the hell's going on? we have now got a job to do. >> westwood and donald played fantastic. >> great shot from lee westwood. >> they pulled it out fantastically well, and it gave everyone momentum, gave the crowd momentum. i've been involved now for 20 years. i've never seen a day like that.

against a very good american team, that was exceptional, exceptional play. superb, superb effort. to see them hugging each other on the last green was a sight. >> it's in there. >> 9 1/2-6 1/2. >> and that's what won the ryder cup. ian poulter is remarkable at the ryder cup, incredible confidence. i'll get you a point. >> nice. >> i don't think mcdonald hit a bad shot that week, but midway through i had about an hour and a half on my radio where it was all bad news. eagles. there was birdies flying around. and every putt that was holed was an american putt. i needed something at the end for insurance purposes. and that was the last man

standing now, it was graeme. graeme felt that his game might not count. i said, yes, graeme, but what if it does? it was beginning to go horribly wrong. >> he's made it. rickie fowler birdies the last four holes. >> there was a cheer reverberated back from 18. >> i'll never forget it. he's done it again. >> and monty is right there beside me and said -- >> you need to win. >> i was more nervous than i've ever been on a golf course in my whole life. >> a very, very fast downhill curly putt. >> this is huge. >> i was trying not to mess up. >> he's got it. >> incredible noise. i've never heard as much noise as that on the golf course ever. >> just the greatest shot of my life. >> monty's mission is

accomplished, and the ryder cup is back. >> that was it. that was it for me. a very proud moment for european golf, for me to represent with the ryder cup. it was the proudest moment of my golfing career. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, the captain of the victorious european ryder cup team, colin montgomerie and team member martin kaymer. [ applause ] >> thank you very much indeed.

that brings back very good memories for martin. we played with integrity, and we showed sportsmanship on both sides, the americans and ourselves, and two words that epitomize our game, integrity and sportsmanship. and to receive the spirit of sport award, we should really call it the spirit for life award for sevy balasterus. please join me in wishing him back to good health, and wouldn't it be wonderful to see him swing a golf club on the course one more time. >> yeah! >> what a putt! europe has the cup back. to the senior prom nna taks in this. one day, i'll park this in a spot reserved for me. it's got 26,000 miles on it now, but i'm gonna take it to a thousand million.

[ male announcer ] own a certified pre-owned mercedes-benz and chances are they'll own it one day, too. now with an optional extended limited warranty your vehicle may be covered for up to 135,000 miles. one day, i'm gonna drive this to vegas. [ male announcer ] hurry in to your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for 1.99% financing during our certified pre-owned sales event through may 2nd. during our certified pre-owned eat healthy and exercise more. it's just as easy to say we'll start tomorrow. but our kids are running out of time. they're the first generation that might not live as long

as their parents because of the health risks associated with being overweight. what can we do to help? be the example they need. make healthy choices, and help them do the same. let's move to raise a healthier generation of kids.

now, before i nnvite him ba on stage, i just want to find out who does the better impression of morgan freeman? me or morgan freeman. you can make up your own minds, please welcome morgan freeman. >> it's now time for me to present the sport for good award. a prestigious accolade that recognizes the work of a person who shares the goals, values, and principles of the laureus academy. let's take a look at a remarkable story.

>> beirut, lebanon's capital and a city for so long besieged by hostility and conflict. but out of this conflict emerged a figure of determined optimism, may al kalil, and she had a dream of a unified city, a marathon through the heart of lebanon. it was a vision inspired by adversity. in late 2001, she was struck by a car whilst out running. she was in a coma for four days. she broke both legs and fractured her hips. in total she was hospitalized for 18 months and endured 34 operations. but the moment she was able, may al kalil turned her focus on the marathon. the ambition was undeterred. she wanted a sporting event that just maybe might cut through decades of hostility and

political dispute. the idea was to establish a safe route through a notoriously divided territory, and she did it. >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the beirut marathon, for the love of lebanon. >> the response was emphatic. 6,000 runners from 49 countries competed in the first beirut marathon in 2003. six years later, and there were 32,000 competitors heading to the start line. and since 2003, 36 ambassadors have run without bodyguards in an open display of solidarity. rarely has there been a better example of nelson mandela's decree that sport has the power to change the world. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the winner of the sport for good award 2011 and founder

and president of the beirut marathon, may al khalil. [ applause ] >> thank you very much. good evening. first of all, i would like to thank sincerely the laureus members and committee members for this wonderful evening. i would like to thank all those who made this event happen, and i would like to thank my dear friend noel. i would like to thank as well lebanon and the lebanese who believed in my mission, and i would like to thank as well my husband and my family for supporting me.

back in 2003, my country lebanon has just emerged from civil war. i wanted to pay back to my community, and i wanted to help through the power of sports. i believed in running. we've been running for peace, and we will continue running for peace in the middle east. thank you. thank you very much. professional driver on a closed course. ♪ do not attempt at home. always wear your seat belt. ♪ and please drive responsibly. [ male announcer ] it's the most fun you can legally have. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer

for exceptional offers on the c-class. ( leaves rustling ) i now pronounce you man and wife. announcer: 50 years of dedication. ( baby coos ) 50 years of teamwork. 50 years of dependability. ( chattering ) ( camera clicks ) american century investments. focused on performance.

next up is one accolade that dennis rodman tried very, very hard to win, the laureus world sportswoman award. to present the nomination, we have matt good, an actor who turned in a winning performance in woody allen's "match point," and another who's used to plenty of winning match points in tennis, monica seles. welcome them both. monica, you know what it's like

to perform at the level of these nominees, and i think you started when you were 6, right? >> yes. >> do you think, if you hadn't started then, you could achieve nine grand slams? >> to give you a perspective, kevin, until i was about 8 years old, i didn't even know how to keep score in tennis. i think having that innocence was really beneficial later on. >> matt, "match point" was about tennis, but i hear you're a pretty good golfer. >> yeah, looks can be a bit deceptive. the swing is fine, but the putting, as steve wal mentioned, is a bit like a dead donkey at the moment. here we are. >> have fun tonight. good luck with the awards. >> we're here to announce the winner of this year's laureus world sportswoman. let us remind ourselves of the nominees. >> the nominees for laureus world sportswoman of the year. lindsey vonn. won a third straight overall

world title and became the first american woman to win an olympic downhill gold. >> another incredible run. lindsay von inlindsey vonn in a of her own. >> serena williams. took her singles major tally to 13, claiming the australian open and the wimbledon titles. >> oh, she's done it. serena williams, the queen of wimbledon once again. >> jessica rennes. added to her world cup title with heptathlon gold at the world championships. >> and another personal best! and the championship record is gone. >> caroline wozniacki.

at 20, she became the second youngest player ever to become world number one. >> awesome tennis for the 20-year-old. >> blanca vlasic. dominated the high jump at world indoor and championship goals along with a clean sweep of all seven league diamond meters. kim clijsters. back to her best winning the wta tour championship. and the defending champion also won her third u.s. open title. >> that will do it.

>> and the winner is lindsey vonn. >> hi. i'm so sorry i couldn't be there tonight. i'm actually in germany preparing for the world championships. i want to say thank you so, so much for this award. i am so honored. honestly, i never thought in my life that i could win something like this. so from the bottom of my heart, this means the world to me. thank you so much, so much. and to all my family and fans who supported me over the years, thank you so much. and especially thank you to my husband for always supporting me. you're the best. and take care, everyone. i really appreciate it. >> lindsey vonn is the gold medalist. her dream has come true. ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] it's a universal gesture... ♪ ...a way of telling the world "you did it!"... without saying a word. ♪ the mercedes-benz sls amg. ♪ the best or nothing... that is what drives us. the best♪ nothing... ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. introducing purina one beyond

other laureus award winners

include the lifetime achievement award, zinedine za dan. the team of the year, the world cup championship soccer team. and the comeback of the year, valentino rossi. >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. my name is johnny carson. how are you? good to see you back. and now we come to the one that all you guys out there have been dreaming about getting your hands on. no, i'm not talking about a huge new sponsorship deal. i'm talk about the laureus world sportsman of the year. to reveal the nominations we have boris becker, a man whose hair is like the weather here, permanently in the mid-80s.

joining him, the beautiful paz vega. welcome them both. >> we have seen over the course of the evening to be a world class sport person you have to have all the usual qualities of raw talent, strength, and determination. >> however, you also need to have a job for your sport and motivation for perfecting your technique, and a certain something that makes every fan want to get their tickets to see you in the flesh. so the nominations for the laureus sportsman of the year are. >> the nominees for laureus world sportsman of the year. rafael nadal.

world number one returned from career-threatening injuries to claim three grand slam titles. >> now he's part of history. >> lionel messi. he scored 47 goals across all competitions as barcelona retained their spanish league title. >> is there anything beyond the magic of messi? >> kobe bryant. the youngest player to score 25,000 points en route to back to back championships and mvp awards with the l.a. lakers. >> he's done it again. amazing. kobe has won it for the lakers. >> manny pacquiao. the 32-year-old filipino claimed

a historic tenth world titles in a record eighth weight division. >> this guy's exploding. >> sebastien vettel. in formula one he made history. at 23 years and 133 days, he became the sport's youngest ever world champion. >> sebastian vettel, you are the world champion! >> thank you. >> andres iniesta. the barcelona midfielder was named man of the match after scoring the winning goal in the fifa world cup final. >> he's the hero for spain, and he's on top of the world.

>> and the winner is -- rafael nadal. [ applause ] >> well, good evening, everybody. first thing i cannot thank enough the academy to give me the more prestigious award in the world of sport. for me it's an honor to be here in front of the best sportsmen and sportswomen of the world. i want to congratulate the rest of the winners, especially the national team of spain that last summer did amazing thing for our country.

what they did winning the world cup was really a dream for our country. for sure i want to say thanks and commemorate the laureus foundation because the job they are doing around the world with the people that relly need it is something fantastic. so thank you very much. have a good evening. thank you, mr. rupert, for everything. see you soon. thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen, that's it for the laureus world sport awards. we are enormously pleased that you were here, as ever. on behalf of our global partners mercedes benz, iwc, and vodaphone. i would like to say a big thanks to the winners, the nominees, the contributors for making it a memorable and magnificent evening. so good night -- actually, no, no, no. i'm not leaving yet. i'm not going to end this evening without some kind of sport that will make me eligible for a laureus next year.

i know i need an opponent. raffi, get back out here. best sportsman? we'll see about that. i'm going to take you on. i know you're looking a little confused, little nervous, buddy. maybe a hint of nerves here. but you should be nervous because i'm about to beat new a game that demands the physical stamina of a boxer, physicalness of a gymnast, acumen of a chess player. i'd like to take on the laureus sportsman of the year in a game of ping pong. bring it out, guys. >> you must be really confident after the rest of the sports you name. >> i am. i'm very confident. >> win this one. come on. >> oh, look, it's federer. oh, i won! i won! >> well done. >> t