Women athletes were the big stars in Auckland last night with Valerie Vili capturing New Zealand's ultimate sporting prize – the Halberg Award – for the third consecutive year. Then just for good measure Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell were crowned Sports Champions of the Decade.
The 25-year-old World, Olympic, Commonwealth and NZ shot-put champion emerged the big winner at the 2009 Westpac Halberg Awards dinner at Sky City Convention Centre. After repeating her performance of the previous three years by winning the Westpac Sportswoman of the Year category, joining board sailor Barbara Kendall as a four-time winner, Vili went on to claim the supreme award.
In so doing she became the second person behind champion oarsman Rob Waddell to complete a hat-trick of Halberg Awards (2007, 08 & 09), and the first female to capture the big trophy - first won by cricketer Bert Sutcliffe back in 1949 - three times.
Other category winners she headed off for the 2009 Halberg Award were four-time world single scull rowing champion Mahe Drysdale and the world champion rowing pair of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, unbeaten in their first year as a pair at elite level, winners of the Westpac Sportsman and Sports Team categories respectively.
Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell completed a golden night for rowing when they were announced as the Sports Champions of the Decade - heading off the respective Halberg Award winners from 2000-09, including Vili, the three-time Halberg Award winner. In the end, back-to-back double scull Olympic gold medals by the Swindells gave them the edge over the other contenders.
Drysdale and Vili both went unbeaten in all international competition during 2009, retained their world championship crowns and were also acclaimed by their international federations with Drysdale voted male 'Rower of the Year' by world rowing's governing body and Vili one of five finalists for the IAAF 'Female Athlete of the Year award.' The other finalists in the sportswoman category were, like Vili, all current world champions - Sophie Pascoe (swimming), Alison Shanks (track cycling) and Sarah Walker (BMX cycling).
In the Westpac Sportsman of the Year category Drysdale headed off Scott Dixon (motor sport), Duncan Grant (rowing), Richie McCaw (rugby) and Daniel Vettori (cricket) while the Sports Team category was another triumph for rowing with the men's pair of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond beating the All Whites, lightweight double scull team Storm Uru and Peter Taylor (rowing) and the 420 crew of Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher (sailing).
The awards, hosted each year at a glittering dinner organised by the Halberg Trust, recognise outstanding achievement by New Zealand sports men, women, teams and coaches over the previous 12 months.
The Westpac Emerging Talent category, which comes with a $15,000 scholarship from Westpac New Zealand, was awarded to Sam Webster, winner of an unprecedented hat-trick of titles last year at the under-19 World Cycling Championships. The other finalists were Aaron Cruden (rugby), Sam Meech (sailing) and Robbie Manson (rowing).
Dick Tonks, who coached Drysdale and the men's pair to World Championship titles, won the SPARC Coach of the Year category. The other finalists in this distinguished group were Ricki Herbert (football), Kirsten Hellier (athletics) and Tim Carswell (cycling).
The Eagles Golfing Society of New Zealand, who began their support of the Halberg Trust more than 40 years ago, presented the Trust with a cheque for $176,491.28. This lifted their support for the Trust since 1969 to around $3.7million.
At the dinner two former New Zealand champions were inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Athletes Allison Roe, winner of the New York and Boston marathons and Barry Magee, winner of the Olympic marathon bronze in 1960 were presented with their awards by national sporting icons Dame Susan Devoy and Sir John Walker.
The recipients of two other special awards, which have become regular features at the dinner, were very warmly received. Kenny Smith, who has spent more than 50 years in motor-sport winning premier single seater races throughout SE Asia, was presented with the Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, a Halberg Trust initiative. While long time cricket administrator Sir John Anderson, chairman of New Zealand cricket for 13 years, was presented with the SPARC Leadership Award by SPARC CEO Peter Miskimmin.
Voting for the 2009 Westpac Halberg Awards was carried out by an academy of sporting journalists and former sporting greats. The 2009 finalists and winners are listed below:
2009 Halberg Award: Valerie Vili (athletics)
- Mahe Drysdale (Westpac Sportsman of the Year)
- Valerie Vili (Westpac Sportswoman of the Year)
- Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, Men's Pair (Westpac Sports Team of the Year)
Sports Champion of the Decade: Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (rowing)
- Rob Waddell (2000)
- Caroline and Georgina Evers Swindell (2001)
- Tall Blacks (2002)
- Silver Ferns (2003)
- Sarah Ulmer (2004)
- Michael Campbell (2005)
- Mahe Drysdale (2006)
- Valerie Vili (2007, 08 & 09)
Westpac Sportsman of the Year: Mahe Drysdale (rowing)
- Scott Dixon (motor sport)
- Mahe Drysdale (rowing)
- Duncan Grant (rowing)
- Richie McCaw (rugby)
- Daniel Vettori (cricket)
Westpac Sportswoman of the Year: Valerie Vili (athletics)
- Sophie Pascoe (swimming)
- Alison Shanks (cycling)
- Valerie Vili (athletics)
- Sarah Walker (cycling)
Westpac Sports Team of the Year: Men's Pair (rowing)
- All Whites (football)
- Men's Pair (rowing)
- Lightweight Double Scull (rowing)
- Women's 420 (sailing)
SPARC Coach of the Year: Richard Tonks (rowing)
- Ricki Herbert (football)
- Kirsten Hellier (athletics)
- Tim Carswell (cycling)
- Richard Tonks (rowing)
Westpac Emerging Talent Award: Sam Webster (cycling)
- Sam Webster (cycling)
- Aaron Cruden (rugby)
- Sam Meech (sailing)
- Robbie Manson (rowing)
