Dame Lisa Carrington has unsurprisingly taken out top honours at the 2022 Halberg Awards after her incredible Olympic campaign that saw her win three gold medals in Tokyo.
Nine awards were presented during the celebration of New Zealand sporting excellence from December 1, 2019, to November 30, 2021 – a two-year period reflecting the impact of Covid-19 on global sporting competitions.
Dame Lisa won the supreme Halberg Award and sportswoman of the year at Wednesday's ceremony. It was the sixth straight year she had won the sportswoman of the year award.
The 32-year-old canoe sprinter became New Zealand's greatest Olympian of all time with her performance in Tokyo. Her overall tally of five golds and a bronze surpassed fellow canoe sprinter Ian Ferguson, while her three golds in Tokyo were enough to place her 33rd on the medal table if she were her own nation.
In the 2022 New Year Honours, Carrington was honoured with a damehood for her services to canoe racing.
Carrington thanked her Olympic canoe sprint teammates for helping her to her three gold medals.
"I couldn’t have achieved what I did without them and vice versa, we were there for each other," she said.
New Zealand canoe sprint coach Gordon Walker was named coach of the year for the fourth time, after guiding the Olympic team to three golds in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, the Black Caps were named team of the year after winning the 2021 World Test Championship and becoming the number one ranked ODI team in the world.
Captain Kane Williamson also won the sportsman of the year award, having led his side to multiple successes and continuing his superb performances with the bat across all formats.
Dame Sophie Pascoe won the para athlete/team of the year award for the seventh time, in recognition of her haul of two gold, one silver and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Pascoe was also honoured with a damehood in the 2022 New Year's Honours for her contributions to swimming.
Swimmer Erika Fairweather won the emerging talent award following her impressive performances at the Tokyo Olympics, making the final of the women's 400m freestyle, aged just 17.
Kereyn Smith was presented the leadership award for her role as chief executive and secretary general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee. New Zealand won 19 medals in Tokyo, a record haul for the country at the Olympic Games.
During the evening, Emma Twigg’s gold medal in the women’s single sculls at the Tokyo Olympics was named New Zealand’s favourite sporting moment. It was the only category chosen by the public.
SHARE ME