Edmondston, Walsh chase top awards

South Canterbury’s shot put star Tom Walsh and Waimate cyclist Holly Edmondston are among 70 nominations at the New Zealand Halberg Awards.

Walsh, the 2018 supreme Halberg Award winner after winning the world indoor title and Commonwealth Games gold, is up against 11 other athletes from 11 different sports.

The 27-year-old is the world’s No 1 ranked shot putter and is also the world’s fifth ranked male athlete in 2019, according to World Athletics.

In October 2019 at the world championships Walsh shattered the 32-year-old event’s record mark with 22.90 metres only to be pipped by Joe Kovacs and Ryan Crouser as 1 centimetre separated the top three.

Walsh, who was also the 2017 Sportsman of the Year, is up against Campbell Stewart (cycling), Israel Adesanya (mixed martial arts), Kane Williamson (cricket) Kieran Read (rugby), Lewis Clareburt (swimming), Michael Venus (tennis), Nico Porteous (freeskiing), Paul Coll (squash), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (rugby league), Scott McLaughlin (motorsport) and Tom Sexton (cycling)

Edmondston is nominated alongside Bryony Botha, Kirstie James, Rushlee Buchanan and Michaela Drummond as part of Cycling New Zealand’s women’s team pursuit that won bronze at the 2019 world track cycling championships in Poland.

The 23-year-old has been in stellar form in 2019 as she returns from a back injury with world cup successes in the team pursuit, scratch race and ominium events. In Brisbane at the weekend she was part of the NZ pursuit team that won silver – beaten for gold by 0.3 seconds by Australia – and followed that with an individual bronze in the four-event ominium.

Finalists will be announced in January with the winners announced on February 13.