The accolade, which is considered the greatest prize in disability sport, was given to the 25-year-old from Johannesburg ahead of five other nominees who were British wheelchair racer David Weir, Russian cross country skier Irek Zaripov, Dutch wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer and swimmer Daniel Dias and athlete Terezinha Guilhermina, both from Brazil.

"Thank you to everyone who voted for me and the @LaureusSport Academy Members, very humbling to receive this!" Pistorius said on Twitter.

Pistorius' victory came after a stunning 2011 that saw the four-time Paralympic champion become the first amputee athlete to compete at the able-bodied World Athletics Championships at Daegu in 2011.

Pistorius did not disappoint at the event as he reached the 400 metres semi-final and ran as part of the South African squad that secured silver in the 4x400m relay.


He also claimed three gold medals and a silver at the Christchurch 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Athletics Championships in January.

Pistorius becomes the third South African to win the prestigious Laureus prize after it was picked up by wheelchair racer Ernst van Dyk in 2006 and leg amputee swimmer Natalie du Toit in 2010.

He is also aiming to compete at both the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics this year and just needs to better the 45.30sec mark in the 400m once between now and the end of June in order to do so.

Pistorius was also shortlisted for the World Breakthrough of the Year prize in what would have been a historic double but he was piped to the prize by Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy.

The 22-year-old McIlroy picked up the Breakthrough of the Year prize for winning the 2011 US Open, his first major, and rising to the world number two ranking just behind England's Luke Donald.

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