Team NZ take another big prize
New Zealand’s America’s Cupwinning yachties have left their rivals for dead one more time, sailing away to the big prize at the Halberg Awards in Auckland last night.
The Peter-burling-helmed Team New Zealand took care of business in Bermuda last June when a combination of their offwater innovation and sizzling sailing expertise left James Spithill and the deep-pocketed Oracle syndicate trailing in their wake in a one-sided America’s Cup finals series.
At last night’s Halberg Awards, honouring New Zealand’s top sporting achievements of 2017, the Kiwi yachties showed similar dominance in claiming Team of the Year honours before going on to be bestowed the supreme award winners.
It will be a popular victory for a sporting organisation beloved by the Kiwi public, and admired for its against-the-odds achievement in Bermuda after being late starters for the event, and then pulling off a technological coup with their use of cyclors.
It is Team NZ’S first Halberg Supreme Award since their inaugural 1995 success, though they also won Team of the Year in 2000.
Burling and his crack group of sailors, designers and boatbuilders headed home three world champions in the Black Ferns women’s rugby side, the Black Sox men’s softballers and women’s K2500m paddlers Lisa Carrington and Caitlin Ryan to claim the team award.
The Black Ferns, in particular, might feel a little hard done by after their achievement in coming together so spectacularly in Ireland to upset previously dominant England in the final.
Carrington and Ryan’s achievement was also mightily impressive as part of New Zealand’s most successful canoe sprint world championships campaign.
That then pitted Team NZ among a daunting lineup for the overall award. Shot put world champion Tom Walsh was there, as Sportsman of the Year, on the back of his dramatic and gritty success in London when he shook off a painful groin injury to claim his first global outdoors gold medal.
He headed All Black Beauden Barrett, motor racing ace Brendon Hartley and cricketer Ross Taylor for the men’s individual gong.
Carrington was there, too, as a runaway winner of the Sportswoman of the Year award (presented by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern) after claiming medals in all four of her events, including twin golds, at the world championships. She nudged out Black Ferns Portia Woodman and Sarah Goss and golfer Lydia Ko.
There was also the redoubtable Sophie Pascoe, who won Disabled Sportsperson of the Year for the fifth time since the award came into existence in 2011. She set six world records in another fabulous 201 season.
But in the end it was hard to argue that the Kiwi sportspeople who made the biggest impact, overcome the toughest odds and won in the most emphatic style deserved the supreme award.
Canoe sprint maestro Gordon Walker retained his Coach of the Year gong after guiding his paddlers to those four world champs medals, while junior track cycling world champion Ellesse Andrews received the Emerging Talent award.
During the ceremony All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was presented the Leadership Award, Rob Waddell was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame and Morrie Chandler was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award for services to motorsport.