Snow sports lead nominations
Could snow sports be in line for more silverware tonight?
The sport has been recognised for another glittering year across multiple disciplines with nine nominations at the Otago Sports Awards at the Edgar Centre tonight.
Freeskier Luca Harrington, snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and alpine skier Alice Robinson lead the charge with nominations for sportsman and sportswoman of the year respectively.
After starting the season as an X Games alternate, Harrington has something of a breakout year with a remarkable five world cup podiums, X Games gold, a world championship and New Zealand's first FIS Freeski Crystal Globe.
Sadowski-Synnott was also back to her very best, returning from injury. She secured several world cup podium finishes, landed the the world's first triple cork in a women's slopestyle competition and won the FIS Snowboarding Crystal Globe.
Robinson continued her stellar form with podium finishes and was named Snow Sports New Zealand athlete of the year.
Freeskiers Ruby Star Andrews, Finley Melville Ives and Rocco Jamieson are also up for junior awards after their strong seasons on the world circuit.
Stalwart alpine skier Adam Hall has been nominated for para athlete/team of the year, and Sean Thompson (snowboarding) and Nils Coberger and Tim Cafe (alpine ski racing) are nominated for coach of the year.
But the judging panel of Sport Otago chief executive James Nation, Otago Academy of Sport manager Carmel Leslie, Otago Daily Times sports editor Hayden Meikle, TVNZ sports reporter Michelle Prendiville and University of Otago health sciences pro vice-chancellor Megan Gibbons will have had a tough task picking winners across some tightly contested categories.
Olympic champion kayaker Finn Butcher and Black Caps all-rounder Glenn Phillips are up for sportsman of the year, and Olympic swimmer Erika Fairweather is up for sportswoman of the year.
Cyclist James Gardner, long-distance runner Catherine Lund and netballer Ella Southby round out the finalists for junior sportsman and sportswoman of the year.
Paralympians Anna Grimaldi and Holly Robinson are also finalists for para athlete/team of the year, and Grimaldi's coach Michael Jacobs is up for coach of the year.
Team of the year will be another hotly contested category between the Otago Sparks cricketers, who won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, the Southern Stampede, who won the New Zealand men's ice hockey title again, and the Otago men's 4x100m relay team, New Zealand champions and Otago record breakers.
The next generation of Otago's talent will also be recognised with Alexis Owen (surfing), Mason Clarke (cricket), Phoebe Laker (athletics), Josh Grieve (cycling), Joel Paterson (ice hockey) nominated for emerging talent.
Raylene Bates (athletics), Chris Gaffaney (cricket), James Doleman (rugby) are also finalists for official of the year.
The services to sport, innovation in sport and supreme awards will be announced tonight.
Former Otago Spark and White Fern Katey Martin, now a cricket commentator, is the guest speaker, while Melanie Kerr will MC the event again.
Entertainment includes the Nga Wai o Pukehaukea kapa haka group, Otago Girls' singer Grace Tiko, and the Rasa School of Dance Allies crew, who are off to the world championships.
kayla.hodge@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Butcher named Otago's supreme winner
Otago kayaker Finn Butcher shone with provincial pride from abroad last night. The Olympic gold medallist was named the supreme winner at the Otago Sports Awards at the Edgar Centre. He was also named sportsman of the year. The Central Otago athlete is in Europe competing on the world cup circuit and could not attend. But the humble 30-year-old from Alexandra gave a short speech on video. "One of my big things, especially last year, but also throughout my whole career, is to represent my region and my community with pride," he said. "And, you know, it was a big part of competing in Paris for me. And hopefully, I did that well. "I had a mouthguard in the kayak cross that had the Otago colours on it and looked at that every time before I ripped in down that ramp. "And, yeah, I think one big moment for me was where I got sent the front page of the Otago Daily Times just before the Olympics started, and I was on the front page of the sport." Butcher joined the ranks of southern sporting greats when he won Olympic gold in men's kayak cross in August last year. But he won over even more fans with his warmth and grounded approach. The queen of the slopes was the night's other big winner. Wānaka snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was named sportswoman of the year. She is a four-time winner of the supreme award and had another wonderful year. She claimed two gold and one silver on the world cup circuit and claimed the overall title. Sadowski-Synnott was overseas training but accepted the award in a video speech. "When I look back on this past year, I am filled with an immense amount of gratitude coming back from my ankle injury," she said. "It was a year filled with challenges and growth, and I wouldn't be here without the incredible support system that I have around me." There was some surprise when the Otago men's 4x100m relay team was named team of the year. They snatched their fourth consecutive national title and also beat the Australian teams at the Australian national track and field championships. They broke a 19-year-old Otago record in that race. The Otago Sparks might have been considered the favourites for the award in some circles. They defended the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in dramatic fashion. White Ferns spinner Eden Carson shook off a chest infection and thumped an unbeaten 59 from 43 balls to help her side overhaul Auckland's formidable tally of 291 for five in perhaps one of the greatest games at the University Oval. Dunedin Paralympian Anna Grimaldi, named para athlete of the year, had another exceptional season. She brought home gold in the 200m and nabbed bronze in 100m T47 events at the Paris Paralympics. Grimaldi also collected bronze in the 100m and silver in the long jump at the world championships in 2024. Her coach, Michael Jacobs, was named coach of the year for his role in her success. Wānaka freeskier Finley Melville Ives collected the junior sportsman award. The teenager had a breakthrough year, winning the 2025 freeski halfpipe world championship. Queenstown's Ruby Star Andrews was named junior sportswoman. She also made big strides, finishing in the top 10 on the world stage on three occasions. Cricket umpire Chris Gaffaney was named official of the year. He made history as the first New Zealand man to officiate a T20 World Cup final. Dunedin surfer Alexis Owen was named emerging talent. The 16-year-old became the youngest athlete to claim the New Zealand open men's surfing title earlier this year. The innovation in sport award went to the team behind the New Zealand Grand Prix held at Highlands Motorsport Park. The services to sport award went to Jim Hoffman, who has been described as the backbone of Otago badminton. Hoffman has contributed to the sport as a player, coach, team manager and administrator. It is estimated he has introduced more the 10,000 people to the sport during his more than 50 years of involvement in badminton.
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Carlos rows into the record books
Queenstown's Carlos Bagrie can now add Guinness World Record-holder to his list of achievements. Bagrie, 39, who co-owns Royalburn Station with his wife, Nadia Lim, was one of 12 people who pulled up 1million metres on an indoor rowing machine at London's Paddington Station last Friday night (New Zealand time), in 59 hours, 16 minutes and 51 seconds, beating the previous world record by about 2hrs 40mins. Simultaneously, they've raised about £80,000 — $NZ178,500 — to help run an exercise programme for children undergoing cancer treatment at Southampton Children's Hospital (SCH). Working in shifts, each person spent a minute rowing, with five minutes of "recovery" for six hours at a time — ultimately, Bagrie's team completed five such shifts. He tells Mountain Scene the 'Thanks a Million Challenge' was "without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done, physically", having had about five hours' sleep over the duration, and burning through 30,000 calories. "I think it was the fourth set I was starting to pass out, so I was on these sugar shot things — they tasted bloody awful if I'm being honest with you. "I would definitely say I'm a kilo or two lighter today; how long that stays off for is anybody's guess," he laughs. Their technique around the transitions, in particular, was assisted by some expert advice from retired rower Sir Steven Redgrave — a five-time Olympic gold medallist, three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and nine-time World Rowing Championship gold medallist. The fundraising challenge was dreamed up by Bagrie's long-time mate, Gihan Ganesh, an anaesthetist at SCH, as a way to positively contribute to SCH's Piam Brown ward, where his daughter, Lola, now 4, was diagnosed and treated for a rare, advanced and complex pelvic tumour, which had metastasized, when she was a 1-year-old. The new collaboration between the ward and Momentum in Fitness Charity will deliver targeted exercise therapy for all paediatric oncology patients — Bagrie says it's a "wonderful thing" to support. "It was a lovely way to close that chapter of that book. That story was a pretty arduous one. "I think Gihan, by creating this event, raising some funds [and] some awareness, he turned what was an incredibly negative experience into a very positive one." Noting he's "just a farmer living up on the terrace", Bagrie hasn't ruled out fronting for another physical challenge. "I wouldn't close the door on doing something else — the right event for the right reason. "It was a bloody good excuse to get into shape and get fit."
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Snow sports lead nominations
Could snow sports be in line for more silverware tonight? The sport has been recognised for another glittering year across multiple disciplines with nine nominations at the Otago Sports Awards at the Edgar Centre tonight. Freeskier Luca Harrington, snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and alpine skier Alice Robinson lead the charge with nominations for sportsman and sportswoman of the year respectively. After starting the season as an X Games alternate, Harrington has something of a breakout year with a remarkable five world cup podiums, X Games gold, a world championship and New Zealand's first FIS Freeski Crystal Globe. Sadowski-Synnott was also back to her very best, returning from injury. She secured several world cup podium finishes, landed the the world's first triple cork in a women's slopestyle competition and won the FIS Snowboarding Crystal Globe. Robinson continued her stellar form with podium finishes and was named Snow Sports New Zealand athlete of the year. Freeskiers Ruby Star Andrews, Finley Melville Ives and Rocco Jamieson are also up for junior awards after their strong seasons on the world circuit. Stalwart alpine skier Adam Hall has been nominated for para athlete/team of the year, and Sean Thompson (snowboarding) and Nils Coberger and Tim Cafe (alpine ski racing) are nominated for coach of the year. But the judging panel of Sport Otago chief executive James Nation, Otago Academy of Sport manager Carmel Leslie, Otago Daily Times sports editor Hayden Meikle, TVNZ sports reporter Michelle Prendiville and University of Otago health sciences pro vice-chancellor Megan Gibbons will have had a tough task picking winners across some tightly contested categories. Olympic champion kayaker Finn Butcher and Black Caps all-rounder Glenn Phillips are up for sportsman of the year, and Olympic swimmer Erika Fairweather is up for sportswoman of the year. Cyclist James Gardner, long-distance runner Catherine Lund and netballer Ella Southby round out the finalists for junior sportsman and sportswoman of the year. Paralympians Anna Grimaldi and Holly Robinson are also finalists for para athlete/team of the year, and Grimaldi's coach Michael Jacobs is up for coach of the year. Team of the year will be another hotly contested category between the Otago Sparks cricketers, who won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, the Southern Stampede, who won the New Zealand men's ice hockey title again, and the Otago men's 4x100m relay team, New Zealand champions and Otago record breakers. The next generation of Otago's talent will also be recognised with Alexis Owen (surfing), Mason Clarke (cricket), Phoebe Laker (athletics), Josh Grieve (cycling), Joel Paterson (ice hockey) nominated for emerging talent. Raylene Bates (athletics), Chris Gaffaney (cricket), James Doleman (rugby) are also finalists for official of the year. The services to sport, innovation in sport and supreme awards will be announced tonight. Former Otago Spark and White Fern Katey Martin, now a cricket commentator, is the guest speaker, while Melanie Kerr will MC the event again. Entertainment includes the Nga Wai o Pukehaukea kapa haka group, Otago Girls' singer Grace Tiko, and the Rasa School of Dance Allies crew, who are off to the world championships.
