Bond and Murray crowned Champions of the Decade
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray have been named the supreme Halberg Award Decade Champions. As part of a ceremony at Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday night celebrating outstanding New Zealand sporting achievements from 2010 — 2019, the rowing pair won supreme honours for their triumphs, including winning back-to-back gold medals at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016. Bond and Murray won eight world championships, hold the record for most consecutive wins, and were awarded the Thomas Keller Medal, rowing’s highest honour.
They join an illustrious list, with Dame Yvette Corlett (1950s), Sir Peter Snell (1960s), Sir John Walker (1970s), Sir Richard Hadlee (1980s), Danyon Loader (1990s) and Carolyn Meyer and Georgina Earl (2000s) previous recipients.
Bond and Murray also claimed the Team of the Decade award in a night that saw nine awards presented.
Lisa Carrington won the
Sportswoman of the Decade over only two other finalists, Dame Valerie Adams and Lydia Ko. The canoe racer is a three-time Olympic medallist having won gold in the K1 200 in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. Carrington won a bronze medal in the K1 500 Olympic final, becoming the first New Zealand female to win two medals in a single Olympics. She has continued to champion the sport, amassing 10 world titles from 2011 to 2019.
Former All Blacks captain Richie Mccaw was named the Sportsman of the Decade after leading the team to two Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015. He became the first All Black to reach 100 test caps and captained the team for 110 of his 148 test matches.
Sophie Pascoe was named the Para Athlete of the Decade. The Para swimmer, who won the Para Athlete of the Year Award six times, has dominated the sport over the past decade. Pascoe is a multiple world champion and became the country’s most decorated Paralympian after claiming her 15th medal in Rio.
Canoe coach Gordon Walker claimed the Coach of the Decade honour after helping Carrington to her accomplishments in Rio in 2016. Walker also coached four boats to win gold at the 2017 Canoe Sprint World Champs and Carrington to her gold medal in the K1 200 at the same event. He also coached the New Zealand’s women’s team to five medals at the 2018 Canoe Sprint World Champs in Portugal and Carrington to win the K1 200.
Ko won the Emerging Talent Athlete of the Decade for becoming the youngest person, at 14 years old, to win a professional golf tour event at the NSW Open on the ALPG Tour. She became the youngest player and first New Zealander to win an LPGA Tour event at the Canadian Open at the age of 15.
Double scullers Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan received the award for New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment of the Decade, the only category chosen by the public, for their moment at the 2012 London Olympic Games when they stormed home from behind to win the gold medal.
The Sport New Zealand Leadership Award was presented to the president of New Zealand Football, Johanna Wood.
— NZ Herald