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Four Aussies share Snowsports Award

 

Four Aussies share Snowsports Award

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AOC
Four Aussies share Snowsports Award

Following Australia's unprecedented winter sports success this season, four new world champions have been named joint winners of the country's Snowsports Athlete of the Year award.

Following Australia's unprecedented winter sports success this season, four new world champions have been named joint winners of the country's Snowsports Athlete of the Year award.

At a gala function in Melbourne, snowboarders Alex Pullin, Holly Crawford and Nate Johnstone, plus freestyle skier Anna Segal were named the sport's premier athletes for season 2010-11.

Pullin had a triumphant year, winning the world cup snowboard cross title as well as the world championship.

After an injury-troubled 2010, Johnstone emerged as a real star of the halfpipe world, winning the freestyle snowboard overall world cup title, the halfpipe world cup and the world championship.

Crawford, a two-time Olympian, narrowly missed out on the season-long world cup title, finishing the season ranked second, but she was part of the magic in Spain at the snowboard world championship in January where Australia won three titles in 36 hours.

Segal, who started her skiing career as a moguls skier, produced a superb run to win Australia's fourth world championship for the year.

Ski and Snowboard Australia chief executive Michael Kennedy said the exceptional season had made it impossible for the judges to separate the top honour.

"Really, each won a world championship and that was the key goal for everyone during the year," Kennedy said.

"It is the highest achievement outside of the Olympic Games that an athlete can strive for in winter sport.

"It is an extraordinary year and we thought each deserved the honour of being recognised with the sport's top award."

Recent winners of the award include Olympic gold medallists Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila, who shared the honour last year, two-time Olympic medallist Dale Begg-Smith and recently-retired aerials great Jacqui Cooper.

AAP