The Laureus World Sports Awards just announced its official list of winners for 2022—and Valentino Rossi has another trophy to add to his shelf. The fact that he’s one of motorcycle racing’s greatest living legends is well known, even to people who may not even care about racing. The Laureus Awards just named Rossi their Sporting Icon of 2022—so you could say it’s even more official.
The win marks Rossi’s third-ever Laureus Awards win, out of nine total nominations over the years. He previously won Comeback of the Year in 2011, as well as Sporting Inspiration in 2006. His retirement from actively racing in MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season is still fresh in the minds of fans—but he’s still incredibly active in other areas of the sport. Motorcycle racing was, is, and forevermore shall be one of the fundamental pieces of who he is, and his love for it is something he’s more than happy to share with the world.
