SAMUELS AND FEARNLEY TOP 2009 NSWIS AWARDS
Discus queen Dani Samuels and Wheelchair Track & Road extraordinaire Kurt Fearnley are tonight the toast of NSW sport after gaining top honours at the glittering 2009 NSW Institute of Sport Annual Awards Dinner at the Australian Jockey Club in Sydney.
Samuels, at 21, became the youngest ever discus winner at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Berlin with two monster throws – bettering her personal best on two occasions to win the Communities NSW, Sport and Recreation Female Athlete of the Year.
The engaging young star from Merrylands capped off a great night when she was also awarded the Classic Sportswear Most Memorable Moment for her amazing performance which captured the imagination of the nation.
The humbling Samuels spoke from the heart when she won the world title, saying: "That was just the competition of my life, I knew I could throw 64 at least and I am just so happy to be able to do that under pressure.
"When it landed over 65 I thought, 'Oh my God' - I still can't believe I threw that far because it just felt so effortless, so perfect.
"I didn't force them at all and it shows how important technique is. Once you nail it, it just comes out by itself."
The likeable Beijing Olympian, who now has London 2012 very much in her sights, beat Kaarle McCulloch (Cycling), Nicky Souter (Sailing), Libby Trickett (Swimming) and Holly Crawford (Winter Sports) for the top female award.
In the Memorable Moment she beat:
• Cycling whiz kid from Dubbo Megan Dunn, who won three junior world titles for the second successive year;
• Fellow cyclist Kaarle McCulloch, won gold in the women’s team sprint with Anna Meares at the 2009 cycling world championships. (McCulloch anchored the team, held off the British rider and set a new world record of 33.140 seconds.) and;
• Paralympic legend Kurt Fearnley, who won the London marathon for the first time in his career. (Fearnley sprinted for the line against his arch-rival David Weir, who he edged out by 0.01 seconds.)
Samuels coach Dennis Knowles beat the who’s who of NSW Coaching, Gary Sutton (Cycling), Grant Stoelwinder (Swimming), Chava Sobrino (Diving) and Guy Wilding (Canoe Sprint) to win the Olympic Winter Institute Australia Coach of the Year award.
And while Dani and Denis were the talk of the town on the athletics arena, it was Fearnley who stopped at nothing in his quest for marathon titles, who won the Clubs NSW Male Athlete of the Year.
The Carcoar native claimed victories in six marathons during the nomination period, including the London Marathon for the first time in his career, edging out arch-rival David Weir by 0.01 seconds.
"I've been so close here before so to finish on the other side of the ledger is just awesome," Fearnley said after his London triumph.
"This was one of the strongest fields the sport has ever seen and it's a huge honour to come out on top.
"Everything I've done in the chair this year has been geared towards this race and it all clicked today."
He won the award ahead of sailors Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen and Darren Bundock, , diver Matthew Mitcham and canoe sprinter David Smith.
The sailing duo of Outteridge and Jensen claimed Team Athlete of the Year with cycling’s McCulloch, won gold in the women’s team sprint with Anna Meares at the 2009 Cycling World Championships.
Sailing was also awarded the Program of the year with Outteridge and Jensen victorious in men’s 49er; Bundock in the men’s Tornado; Souter the women’s Match Racing and Lisa Darmanin and Jason Waterhouse, the junior world championships for the Hobie 16 class.
Another big winner on the night was Dubbo’s triple world junior cycling champion Megan Dunn who won three junior world titles to couple the three she won last year - officially making her the most successful junior cyclist, male or female, in the history of the sport.
Dunn, 17, who started competitive cycling at the age of six and made her first Australian team in 2008, was also awarded Regional Excellence Award from Iain Jensen (Sailing): Fishing Point; Shannon Dallas (AWD Winter Sports) Terrigal; Nathan Outteridge (Wangi Wangi) Sailing and Kurt Fearnley (Wheelchair Track and Road) Carcoar.