SAILING AWAY
Team NZ’s Halberg triumph
New Zealand’s sporting royalty swapped their sneakers and sticks for suits and gowns for the 55th annual Halberg awards last night.
Athletes such as Beauden Barrett and Dame Valerie Adams were joined by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford for the event, held at Spark Arena.
Team New Zealand sailed in to take out Team of the Year, before being presented with the Supreme Halberg Award by Halberg Disability Sport Foundation patron and Governor-General, the Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy.
While Team NZ scooped top honours, many eyes were also fixed on the red carpet, where athletes donned dresses, suits and kilts.
Timaru-born shot putter Tom Walsh wore a traditional kilt and sporran with Ghillie brogues. Recently retired Paralympian Liam Malone donned a three-piece complete with a bow-tie. Malone told the Herald he was excited to be there, not as an athlete any more but as a guest to enjoy the success of others.
At the awards ceremony, Ardern presented Lisa Carrington with the High Performance Sport NZ Sportswoman of the Year — for the second year running.
Carrington edged out young golfing star Lydia Ko, and Black Ferns Sarah Goss and Portia Woodman to scoop the prize.
For the fifth year running, Sophie Pascoe won the Halberg Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, while Tom Walsh was named Sportsman of the Year.
Canoeing coach Gordon Walker took out Coach of the Year and track cyclist Ellesse Andrews received the Emerging Talent award.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was presented with the Leadership Award.
Halberg Disability Sport Foundation’s chief executive Shelley McMeeken said: “It’s fantastic to be able to recognise another outstanding year of sport while also celebrating 55 years of the Halberg Awards and Sir Murray’s vision that sport should be possible for all New Zealanders.”
Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup victory saw them named the 2017 supreme winners at the Halberg Awards ceremony in Auckland last night.
Team tactician Ray Davies and chief operations officer Kevin Shoebridge wielded the trophy backstage afterwards.
Davies was calculating where they “could put the rum”.
Shoebridge said that while the Auld Mug sits in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, this one could go “back at the base”.
“Tonight’s been fantastic to bring back memories from Bermuda, and what a huge mountain it was to climb over the last four years,” Shoebridge said.
“Two years ago, I wouldn’t have thought we were in a position to achieve what we did.”
“This trophy epitomises what we believe in,” Davies added.
The corporate syndicate were eligible for the title because they represent the RNZYS. That qualified them as a New Zealand entity under the rules.
The Herald audience’s thirst for stories on their progress proved a gauge. Beating a billionaire, sailing in an exotic location and the ‘ Kiwi’ cyclor ingenuity also proved compelling for the judges.
“The America’s Cup has this technology-innovation side which is a good story that a lot of people are interested in,” Shoebridge said.
“New Zealand goes up against a big software company like Oracle and designs our own stuff to compete against them.”
The Grant Dalton-led line-up was named the Team of the Year before being elevated to the top gong at a function which celebrated sporting excellence and raised funds for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation.
Four of the 67 overall recipients, dating back to the event’s origin in 1949, have been from sailing.
In 1969, Chris Bouzaid won after skippering Rainbow II to victory in the One Ton Cup off Heligoland in the North Sea.
Sir Peter Blake won in 1990 as the helmsman of the triumphant Steinlager II in the Whitbread Roundthe-World Race.
Team New Zealand also won the America’s Cup and the supreme award in 1995.
An unprecedented four medals at a single world championships saw Lisa Carrington take the Sportswoman title. The 2016 supreme award winner triumphed in the K1 200m, K2 500m (with Caitlin Ryan) and secured silver in the K1 500m and bronze in the K4 500m.
Gordon Walker was recognised as the top coach for a consecutive year on the back of those achievements.
“Gordy does so much work behind the scenes, making sure I reach my potential, so the burden on his shoulders is big,” Carrington said.
“I think it’s a special thing for him because he doesn’t get medals around his neck like I do.”
Shot putter Tom Walsh got the nod in the Sportsman category as the first New Zealand male to win gold in the 34-year history of the outdoor world athletics championships.
He finished with a put of 22.03m in London, but had to increase his distance across the competition to keep the field at bay. Walsh was now focusing on a busy couple of months defending his world indoor title and trying to triumph at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
“I’m injury free with no niggles, and stronger and faster, doing PBs [personal bests] in training. I’ve got good horsepower, now I just need to be able to line it up.”
Sophie Pascoe’s six world records at the national short-course swimming championships saw her win the Disabled Sportsperson title for a fifth time.
Cyclist Ellesse Andrews secured the Emerging Talent award; All Blacks coach Steve Hansen took the Leadership award; Morrie Chandler received the Lifetime Achievement award for services to motorsport; and Rob Waddell was the latest inductee into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.