Tom Walsh and rugby big winners in South Canterbury sports awards

World No 3 ranked shot putter Tom Walsh took the supreme award and rugby figured prominently at the South Canterbury sports awards on Friday night.

Walsh, absent from the function at Timaru’s Caroline Bay Hall as he prepares for a competition in Tucson in the United States, expressed his thanks via video to the 225 attendees.

“He thanked the community for their support and paid special tribute to his club (the South Canterbury Athletics Club) and Timaru District Council,” Sport Canterbury regional manager Shaun Campbell said.

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Walsh, the former world outdoor and indoor world champion and twice Olympic Games bronze medallist won a gold medal at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where he was also the New Zealand team flag bearer. He placed just outside the top three for fourth at the 2022 world championships in Oregon.

“His highlight was defending his gold medal at the Commonwealth Games making him back to back champion and being world No 3 is an amazing achievement,” Campbell said.

Walsh’s victory was his third for the supreme award. Cyclist Marc Ryan is the most successful with six wins.

Rugby was a big winner on the night with a new star in world women’s sevens, Jorja Miller taking young sportsperson of the year.

A former Harlequins player and Highland dancer, Miller has catapulted to the front rank of the world’s seven players.

She has been described by media as a “phenom” and after the Black Fern’s recent world series victory in Toulouse was named the women’s world sevens rookie of the year.

She is well on track to be part of the Black Ferns when they defend their Olympic Games title at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.

“Jorja sent a video as well,” Campbell said. “Her parents collected the award for her.”

Continuing rugby’s success, the South Canterbury Heartland team won team of the year having taken the Meads Cup for a second consecutive year and set records for most tries and points scored in a season last year.

The team’s coach Nigel Walsh was named coach of the year. Walsh also coached the New Zealand Heartland team to a resounding victory against New Zealand Police team and has recently been named assistant coach to the Crusaders Development side.

Co-chair of the New Zealand Rugby Pasifika Advisory Group Pauline Luyten won volunteer of the year, and Waimate rugby player Liueli Simote took one of the Waimate District Council regional sportspeople of the year awards.

“It shows the good work that is being done. The clubs are doing good work to nurture young people all the way through,” Campbell said.

Lifetime achievement awards were presented to Karen King, Karen Naylor and Fay Trezise (all netball), Christine Longbottom (rowing) Linda Kenny and Keith Smith (squash).

Bruce Wakefield (lawn bowls) took para athlete of the year, and the New Zealand age group road cycling championships which were hosted in Timaru won the sport and recreation impact award.

Other Waimate District Council sportspeople of the year named besides Simote were Reece Burtenshaw (football) and Ben Allan (rowing).

Kim Jordan (multisport) won the Mackenzie District Council’s masters athlete of the year.

Campbell said the awards were coming back strongly after being constrained due to Covid-19 restrictions in recent years.

“We had a really phenomenal number of nominations after trying a new system where the public could make nominations, and we’re grateful to the sponsors wo have been loyal for the last three to four years.”

He said sport in the region was in good heart and while volunteers did a great job, “a few more coaches and volunteers would make it go from good to great”.

The awards judges were Nigel Davenport, Linda Kenny, Hayden Shaw and Stu Piddington.