Tight contest for Wellington awards

Hurricanes and All Blacks kingpin Beauden Barrett faces competition from a world champion, an America’s Cup winner and two Commonwealth Games medallists to go back to back at next month’s Wellington sportsperson of the year awards.

Barrett, World Rugby’s player of the year in 2017, has been confirmed as a finalist in the sportsman category he won last year.

His challengers are from a variety of codes: world champion Black Sox softballer Joel Evans, Team New Zealand America’s Cup winner Josh Junior, Black Sticks silver medallist Stephen Jenness and swimmer Lewis Clareburt, last year’s emerging sportsman winner who snared bronze in the pool at the Commonwealth Games.

The sportswoman category is equally tight with para-cyclist Kate Horan making two finals after her silver medal ride at the world para-cycling track championships.

Also in the sportswoman finals are Commonwealth Games hockey gold medallist Kelsey Smith, kayaker Kayla Imrie and rower Jackie Kiddle who both shone at world championships, and cricketer Sophie Devine who was dominant at domestic and international level.

Softball features strongly with Mark Sorenson up for coach of the year after guiding the Black Sox men to the world title. Rugby’s Wellington Lions and their coach Chris Gibbes are in the respective finals for team and coach, as are the Saints and Kevin Braswell after their perfect 20-0 season to win the National Basketball League title.

NBA star Steven Adams features in one category: personality of the year which will be decided by a public vote. Also there are Devine, rugby’s Asafo Aumua, netball’s Whitney Souness and cricket’s Michael Papps.