Finalists revealed for 2019 NSWIS Awards

A world-class list of finalists has been announced for the 2019 NSWIS Awards, set to be held on Thursday 14th November at Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Several of Australia’s most decorated sporting individuals will be united in celebration of the collective efforts of NSWIS athletes, coaches, staff and partners, following an exceptional 12 months of competition.

2018 winners Jessica Fox and Matthew Graham are among the nominees who will be looking for back-to-back honours in the Office of Sport Female Athlete of the Year and the Musashi Male Athlete of the Year awards respectively.

Jessica Fox successfully defended both her canoe slalom C1 and K1 world cup titles in 2019 and will go up against the likes of Para Alpine Super Combined world champion Melissa Perrine (with sighted guide Bobbi Kelly), as well as Australia’s five-time medallist at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships Cate Campbell.

Matthew Graham backed up his PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics podium with a world championship silver in the men’s mogul skiing. He is joined as a finalist by four other NSWIS athletes including 2019 world champions Tom Burton (sailing) and James Willett (shooting).

Australian men’s hockey team (the Kookaburras) member Tim Brand is nominated as a finalist for the Mizuno Junior Athlete of the Year after playing a significant role in helping the team reclaim their world number one ranking. Among those going up against Brand are sailing duos Will Cooley & Rebecca Hancock in addition to Archie Cropley & Max Paul, following podium performances in their respective world championship events.

More than competitive results are celebrated at the 2019 NSWIS Awards, with two accolades honouring the personal and professional endeavours of athletes. Balancing a career in sport with these commitments is a key focus of the Athlete Wellbeing & Engagement team at the NSW Institute of Sport.

Australia’s third fastest 100m sprinter of all time Rohan Browning is nominated for The University of Sydney Academic Excellence award for his studies in law and the arts. The award acknowledges the wide array of university-level education athletes often pursue during their careers.

World champion cyclist Kaarle McCulloch features as a finalist in the Powerade Personal Excellence award category, which celebrates progression across an athlete’s professional career, education and/or personal development.

After a stellar 12 months for NSWIS athletes in the pool, two swimming coaches – Adam Kable and Simon Cusack – and water polo coach Rebecca Rippon feature amongst the finalists in the Southern Design Coach of the Year.

Five NSWIS sports programs have been named as finalists in the Sydney Olympic Park Authority Program of the Year, awarded to the sport that has delivered significant performances, results and development.

Also being awarded on the night is the Ian Thorpe AM Outstanding Achievement Award, presented by Ryde Toyota, which celebrates the efforts of an athlete, coach or staff member.

2019 NSWIS Awards Finalists

*NSWIS would like to sincerely apologise for having mistakenly omitted Ashlee Ankudinoff from the list of finalists for the Female Athlete of the Year. This omission was a result of human error which we have now corrected and the Awards selection panel have since been provided an opportunity to reconsider the complete list of finalists. Following the 2019 NSWIS Awards we will review the entire nomination process to prevent this from happening again in future.