Olympians have taken out major honours for their incredible 2018 performances, winning recognition at the AIS Sport Performance Awards.
The 400-strong crowd celebrated elite performances from across the sporting spectrum, with a focus on Tokyo 2020 a common theme from summer athletes.
Jessica Fox was named Female Athlete of the Year for her dominant 2018, in which she won both the K1 and C1 gold at the Canoe Slalom World Championships.
“It’s a massive honour and I’m just truly grateful,” Fox said.
“I’m so thankful to AIS, Sport Australia and everyone who’s been supporting me from my beginnings as a 12-year old to my most successful year ever. It’s been an amazing year and it was great to be in that room and celebrate with so many awesome Australian athletes.”
In a phenomenal family win, mum Myriam Fox took out Coach of the Year. A former world champion and Olympic bronze medallist for France, Myriam has excelled as coach of Australia’s women’s canoe slalom program.
Australia’s Cycling team bagged three awards on the night, with eyes set firmly on performing at their best at Tokyo 2020.
Rohan Dennis took out Male Athlete of the Year following his Time Trial World Championship, the first time an Australian has donned the rainbow stripes as world champion on the road since Cadel Evans in 2009.
Cycling Australia won High Performance Team of the Year, recognising success on both the track and the road that included Dennis’ world title, a world sprint title on the track to sprinter Matthew Glaetzer and a world record in the men’s team pursuit.
Young rider Luke Plapp also took out Emerging Athlete of the Year, in a great sign for the next generation of cycling stars.
The essence of sportsmanship was celebrated with the inaugural Sport Australia Award, going to 10000m runners Eloise Wellings, Madeline Hills and Celia Sullohern. The trio demonstrated the power and inspiration sport can provide, as they waited more than five minutes after they had finished to jointly welcome home the last placed finisher, Lesotho’s Lineo Chaka.
The Australian Kookaburras were named Team of the Year after Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy gold. The team are continuing their fantastic form, having reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in India to be played this Saturday and will be hoping to send 2018 off with another trophy.
Paralympians’ Kurt Fearnley and Simon Patmore also took out awards, winning Best Sporting Moment and Para-Performance of the Year respectively.
olympics.com.au
