Elaine Thompson-Herah

"I know Usain (Bolt) has won Laureus awards before, so to bring this trophy back home to the Caribbean, also in Jamaica, is very special"

"I would say I am very, very proud, but I cannot dwell on the past. Even though it’s very special, it’s memories. I cannot just sit and say ‘OK, I’m a double Olympic champion, I’m a five-time Olympic gold medallist’. I have to continue working because my motivation is to be even better"

"I told myself that I want to be the greatest female sprinter, so I am just going to focus on what the future holds for me."

"Every champion has struggles that they’ve been through. There will always be obstacles and you have to learn to hurdle them – you’re never too old to learn new stuff. I think I’ve learned a lot over the past year, and the main thing is that I’ve learned to listen to my body. Like any athlete who wants to be a champion, you tend to want to train through your pain, but sometimes it’s better to rest and listen to your body, which will help you in the long run. That’s one of the mistakes I’ve made in the past; I’d try to push through the pain"

"Even though the achilles injury was challenging and meant I was unable to sprint or even walk at times, I continued to work. To come back from that and achieve what I did is a surreal feeling and I’m happy and proud"

"You get a lot of motivation when you achieve your first victory of the season"

"The season was a tough one, but we went out there with our heart and our soul and we put on a show"

"It’s an honour to win this award and I’m humbled to accept it. It will keep me motivated as I continue to work towards my targets"