Gold-winning Black Fern named Southland sportsperson of the year
Black Ferns sevens star Alena Saili is the 2022 ILT Southland senior sportsperson of the year.
The 23-year-old former Southland Girls’ High School student and twotime Southland junior sportsperson of the year became the first Southland woman to win an Olympic Games gold medal, as part of the New Zealand women’s sevens team in Tokyo last year.
A regular in the Black Ferns since 2017, Saili was recently confirmed in the squad for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and is hoping for a repeat of her gold medal at the last Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Training commitments meant she was unable to attend last night’s Southland Sports Awards, but she was represented by proud parents Sefo Saili and Maima Afutu.
New Zealand secondary schools netball representative Losa Fifita won the Vodafone junior sportsperson of the year, while cyclist Ronan Shearing was honoured with the Mike Piper Trophy for integrity, excellence and commitment, which is presented each year to an Academy Southland athlete.
Nationally regarded athletics coach Chris Knight was named Ricoh coach of the year, for the second time in three years.
The Southland Kia team of the year award went to the Cycling Southland under-17 boys sprint pairing of Magnus Jamieson and George Manson.
They twice broke the New Zealand record on the way to winning the national title.
Te Anau’s Gail Kirkman, who continues to compete at a world-class level in athletics despite turning 70, took Masters award. home Achievement the NZME
administrator The BDO of the year award went to Southern Steel events manager Sonya Fleming, while the Creation Signs official of the year award was won by Barbara Grieve, the only New Zealander and one of only a handful of women to officiate in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics.
The late Will Impelmans, who was a driving force behind developing mountainbike tracks on Bluff Hill, won The Southland Times Unsung Hero award, which was decided by public vote. Active Southland Services to Sport awards were presented to former Olympic cyclist and Southland Triathlon and Multisport Club stalwart Glenn McLeay, Golf Southland’s Linda Suddaby, longtime Southland Cricket Association administrator and volunteer Allan Faithful and Southland Racing Club president Sean Bellew. The awards evening is the longest-running of its kind in New Zealand.
It is organised annually by Active Southland on behalf of the Southland Amateur Sports Trust.
Active Southland chief executive Brendon McDermott said the aim of the awards was to inspire the Southland community.
‘‘You can’t help but be inspired by the dedication, commitment and resilience showcased by these awards, from the grassroots right through the highest levels of sport.’’