Latest news with #HalbergAwards
Otago Daily Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Grimaldi rounds off brilliant year with top Otago award
Paralympic champion Anna Grimaldi has capped off a breakthrough season on the track by being named athlete of the year at the Athletics Otago awards last night. It was a dream season for the 28-year-old, who was crowned the T47 200m champion in Paris after soaring home in a personal best 24.72sec to set an Oceania record. She also won bronze with a personal best, and Oceania record, of 12.20sec in the 100m and finished fourth in the long jump in Paris. Grimaldi, who was named para athlete of the year at the Halberg Awards, had earlier won silver in the long jump, and bronze in the 100m, at the world para athletics championships in May. Grimaldi, who was the flag bearer for the Paralympics opening ceremony, also won Otago para athlete of the year, while her coach, Michael Jacobs, was named elite coach of the year. Ultramarathon superstar John Bayne won male winter athlete of the year for his efforts in the gruelling discipline. He finished sixth at the IAU 24hr race in Australia and was the second-last Kiwi standing in the backyard ultra world team championships in Otematata, where Bayne ran 72 laps, beating his personal best by 21 laps. Long-distance runner Catherine Lund was named female winter athlete of the year and junior summer athlete of the year. Among her highlights, Lund competed in the 5000m at the world under-20 championships in Peru, where she finished 16th. Ariki athlete Shay Veitch won senior summer athlete of the year after a return to form after injury in early 2024. Veitch laid down the sixth-fastest time in New Zealand history with 10.34sec in the 100m at the Potts Classic, lowering his previous best of 10.64sec to win the event. He was also part of the Otago 4x100m relay team that won gold at the national track and field championships and won the national long jump title. Veitch's coach, Michael Beable, was named development coach of the year for his work with Veitch and his Wanaka athletes. Raylene Bates was recognised for her contribution to athletics, having served as the Paralympics chef de mission and was head of the local organising committee for the national track and field championships. Bates also coaches several Otago athletes, including Paralympian Holly Robinson, who won bronze in the shot put in Paris, and Dunstan seated thrower Mac Denniston, who landed on the podium at the Oceania championships. Joan Merrilees was named official of the year for her tireless work behind the scenes. She also put in countless hours upskilling polytechnic students to be officials at the national track and field championships.
NZ Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Halberg Games providing inspiration for Amy Ellis chasing Paralympic dreams
Ellis is a T13 athlete, specialising in 100m, 200m, and 400m racing, and is legally blind, having been born with three conditions. Nystagmus, a condition characterised by involuntary, rhythmic, and repetitive eye movements, coloboma, where part of the eye structure is missing, giving her larger pupils, and convergent squints, where one eye usually turns inward. Despite all this, the 18-year-old already holds multiple age-grade New Zealand records in all three disciplines, plus long jump for T13 Para women, and is targeting higher honours. 'My ultimate goal is to go to the 2028 Paralympics,' said Ellis. 'More short term, I would love to participate in the Ocean champs and possibly then the World Para Athletics Championships.' Recently, in her first competition in Australia, Ellis set a new personal best of 29.30s in the 200m. Like most kids, Ellis loves sport, and she initially played football for four years with able-bodied kids before it got too challenging. Even at high school, there were difficulties with getting picked last for certain things because of her disability, but Ellis says simple changes like using a neon-yellow coloured football can make the world of difference. But after being introduced to the Halberg Foundation, Ellis has seen the Games grow, and it has given her the chance to try new sports like crossfit, snag golf and swimming. 'They are so inclusive, and I feel like I can truly embrace my disability and be open to the struggles that I have and be happy to ask for help. 'The games means so much to me, and that I can just meet new people as well with the same visual impairments or things like that as well.' Running has always been in Ellis' blood. In her primary school years, she would always run around the streets of Taranaki and take part in cross country and athletics days and even went on to the regionals in those competitions. But since focusing on sprints last year, Ellis says there was some adjustment, but she loves taking part. 'When I started with my coach, it was about giving them the knowledge of what I can see, what I can't see, and it's just a little adaptive stuff like putting a cone every 30 metres so I would know where to go. 'I initially started in lane one, so I would be able to see the difference between the grass and the track because I find it quite hard to see the white lines.' Ellis is also part of the Halberg Youth Council, which enabled her to take part in February's Halberg Awards. She was on stage alongside rowing great Rob Waddell to present Olympic gold medalist Hamish Kerr with his Sportsman of the Year award. 'I couldn't see Hamish coming towards me, and Rob was always whispering in my ear to say how far away he is. 'It was such a spectacular moment to be able to be like a visually impaired person can do this, that it's possible. It was so awesome to be able to be on live TV, present this award, and just have that moment of it was awesome.'
