Bonn, Germany - Canadian athlete Earle Connor was recently named Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, at the prestigous 2004 Laureus World Sports Awards. The award was presented by film star Morgan Freeman at a ceremony was held on 10 May at the Centro Cultural de Belem (C.C.B.) on the Lisbon Coast, Portugal.

In 2003 Connor had a spectacular summer on the track, culminating with four world records. He broke the world records in the 100m (12.14 secs), 200m (26.66 secs) and 400m (1 min 7.32 secs) on the same day in Germany, then just six days later in Milan, he lowered his own 200 metres record to 26.40 secs. He was named Canadian Disabled Athlete of the Year in 1997, 1998 and 1999. In 2000, he was inducted into Calgary's Sports Hall of Fame. After winning the award, Earle Connor, speaking straight from the heart, stated: "This award is not for me, it's for you. If I can run under 13 secs with one leg, imagine what you can do".

Other nominees in the category for Laureus Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability were Michael Teuber (Cycling, Germany), Natalie du Toit (Swimming, South Africa), Nicola Tustain (Equestrian, United Kingdom), Ronny Persson (Alpine Skiing, Sweden) and Vitalis Lanshima (Athletics, Nigeria).

The awards, styled as the Oscars of the sporting world and co-presented by tennis legend John McEnroe and actress Rachel Hunter, celebrate sporting excellence across all disciplines and continents. The Awards Ceremony was was watched by a global TV audience of 350 million and featured many well-known personalities from the fields of sport and entertainment, including Michael Douglas, Luis Figo and Placido Domingo.