Walsh the big winner at Halbergs
SHOT putter Tom Walsh won the top honour at the Halberg awards last night.
The Commonwealth Games champion won the sportsman of the year award for the second year in a row and went on to win the supreme Halberg award in Auckland last night.
Other winners were kayaker Lisa Carrington, para athlete Adam Hall, the Black Ferns sevens rugby team and coach Gordon Walker.
Walsh was recognised for his outstanding achievements in 2018, including victories at the World Indoor Championship, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League events. He edged out freeskier Nico Porteous and motor racers Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon in the sportsman category.
Carrington claimed sportswoman of the year for her third year running. The canoe racer, who claimed a gold and three silver medals at the Canoe Sprint World Championships, was named ahead of squash player Joelle King, horse rider Jonelle Price and snowboarder Zoi SadowskiSynnott.
Hall won the Para Athlete/ Team of the Year for claiming gold and bronze at the Paralympic Winter Games.
The Para alpine skier headed off Para swimmer Sophie Pascoe, Para canoe racer Scott Martlew and fellow Para alpine skier Corey Peters.
The Black Ferns Sevens were voted the team of the year after winning the Sevens Rugby World Cup and gold at the Commonwealth Games. The team won ahead of the NZ Football under17 women’s Team, the NZ women’s kayaking team, the Black Sticks women and the All Blacks Sevens.
Walker was named the coach of the year for a third consecutive year. Lisa Carrington’s mentor beat Allan Bunting (Black
Ferns Sevens), Clark Laidlaw (All Black Sevens), Leon Birnie (NZ Football under17 women) and New Zealander Joe Schmidt (Ireland rugby).
MaddisonLee Wesche won the emerging talent award. The shot putter who claimed gold at the under20 IAAF World Championships was named ahead of sailor Josh Armit, White Fern Amelia Kerr, swimmer Lewis Clareburt and football player Anna Leat.
Leat’s penalty kick which sent New Zealand into the semifinals of the Under17 Women’s World Cup was voted the country’s favourite sporting moment.
Former Black Ferns captain Farah Palmer was presented with the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award.
Former supreme Halberg Awards winner and discus throwing champion Beatrice Faumuina was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, while Barry Hunt was also recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award for services to athletics.
The annual awards is the major fundraiser for the Halberg Foundation, the charity set up by Olympic athletics champion Sir Murray Halberg, which aims to enhance the lives of physically disabled young New Zealanders by enabling them to participate in sport and recreation.