Dual-Olympic marathon runner Jessica Stenson and Tokyo 2020 golfer Cam Smith have taken out the female and male athlete of the year awards respectively at the Australian Institute of Sport Performance Awards in Sydney.
Jessica, a Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games marathon gold medallist, was one of three award winners from athletics.
Retired Olympic hurdler Kyle Vander-Kuyp was recognised with the community engagement award for his ongoing commitment to advancing reconciliation and empowering Australia’s First Nations peoples. Plus Athletics Australia claimed the high performance program of the year honour.
“This is so special. I love representing Australia, it’s something that I dreamed of as a young girl watching the Olympics on TV so to celebrate sport tonight and then to round it out with this I’m still in shock, it’s a huge honour,” Jessica said.
“My dream now is to just continue striving to be the best athlete I can be but also the best person I can be.”
Cameron Smith, winner of the British Open and the Players Championship in 2022, added another piece of silverware to his cabinet after winning male athlete of the year.
The Australian Women’s Rugby 7s side was named team of the year. They were the first team ever to win the Rugby World Cup, Commonwealth Games and World Rugby Seven Series all in the same year.
Coach of the year award was shared between moguls mentors Kate Blamey and Peter McNiel. The pair have taken a long list of Winter Olympians to the top of the ranks including Britt Cox, Cooper Woods and Jakara Anthony, who won Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold medal in 12 years at this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Win Well Award was launched at this year’s Australian Sport Performance Awards (ASPAs) to acknowledge the importance of balancing sporting success with high performance cultures that are safe, fair and supportive. ‘We win well to inspire Australians’ is the vision of Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy.
The Victorian Institute of Sport, which carries the motto 'success in sport and life’ took out the inaugural win well award. One of its notable achievements is that 94 per cent of its current athletes balance their full-time sport with study or work.
Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins OAM said all of this year’s ASPAs awards carried the Win Well influence, with nominees judged on more than sporting performance alone.
“Our judges also considered behaviours of sportsmanship, fair play, respect and integrity, broader contributions such as role modelling and leadership, and achievements beyond the sporting arena, like community involvement, academic and vocational achievements. It’s important to recognise and reward these qualities in our successful athletes,” Mr Perkins said.
2022 ASPAs winners:
- Female Athlete of the Year: Jessica Stenson, Athletics Australia
- Male Athlete of the Year: Cam Smith, Golf Australia
- Coach of the Year: Peter McNiel and Kate Blamey, Olympic Winter Institute of Australia
- High Performance Program of the Year: Athletics Australia
- Team of the Year: Women's Rugby 7s, Rugby Australia
- Community Engagement Award: Kyle Vander-Kuyp, Athletics Australia
- Win Well Award: Victorian Institute of Sport
- Female Para-Athlete of the Year: Emily Petricola, AusCycling
- Male Para-Athlete of the Year: Ben Tudhope, Snow Australia
- Emerging Athlete of the Year: Donnell Wallam, Netball Australia
- Award for Leadership: Petria Thomas, Commonwealth Games Australia
- Sport Volunteer of the Year Award: Nicole Williams, Cricket Australia
