Cyclists feature strongly at ILT Sports Awards

Cycling featured strongly at the 2013 ILT Southland Sports Awards on Friday night with a hat-trick of success across the categories.

Cyclists Phillipa Gray and Laura Fairweather's efforts at the 2012 Paralympic Games saw them win the Southland Vehicle Sales Team of the Year award. The pair won a trio of  medals in London, including New Zealand's first ever gold medal in the tandem discipline,  breaking the former world record in their qualifying ride.

BikeNZ junior track coach Ross Machejefski was named the Ricoh Southland Coach of the  Year, after guiding a 16-strong New Zealand team to seven silver medals and three bronzes  at the 2012 UCI Junior World Track Championships in Invercargill. His athletes also had  success at the Olympic Youth Festival in Sydney, winning five titles.

Cyclist Erin Criglington was awarded for a great year on the track, winning The Radio  Network Masters Achievement of the Year category.

Criglington won two gold medals at the  national age group track championships, breaking two New Zealand records, and won five golds at the Southland track championships.

Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist Nathan Cohen was tonight named the ILT Southland Senior Sportsperson of the year, in front of a capacity crowd at the ILT Southland Sports Awards in Invercargill.

The race which is now etched in New Zealand sporting history saw Cohen and Joseph Sullivan storm home for rowing gold in the men's double sculls at London 2012.

It was relived at the awards function last night and highlighted what has been a simply outstanding  year for Cohen, who has consistently performed with distinction on both national and  international waters in recent years.

Jacob Duffy's fantastic year in cricket was also recognised, with Duffy named the Vodafone Junior Sportsperson of the Year.

Duffy represented New Zealand at the U19 ICC Cricket World Cup, where the team finished fourth and Duffy was the second highest wicket taker of  the tournament.

He secured an Otago Volts contract, played in all three formats of the game  and, in the national T20 series was New Zealand's leading wicket taker, helping his team to the national title and earning it a place in the World Champions League.

Ginge Burnett was named the SBS Bank Administrator of the Year, for his efforts in driving  the sport of triathlon at a local level, as well as his work in local triathlon events, BMX, club  rugby and as Sport Southland board chair.

Four outstanding supporters of Southland sport were also recognised for years of tireless dedication to their respective sports, each recognised with a Sport Southland Services to  Sport award. Debbie Hodges (netball), Peter Sinclair (rowing), Lyn Sutherland (swimming)  and Mike Piper (athletics) were all acknowledged and their achievements celebrated  throughout the evening.

Sport Southland chief executive Brendon McDermott said the ILT Southland Sports Awards  were the formal highlight of the sporting year and he was both inspired and delighted by the  calibre of talent that was recognised, both in the finalists and category winners.

''It has become a cliché to say that Southland athletes, teams, coaches and administrators,  punch above their weight on the national and international stage, but a cliché simply means  it's a phrase used a lot. To me, that shows that Southland sportspeople are consistently  producing outstanding results and it is fantastic that we are able to take at least one night of  the year to come together and celebrate those achievements,'' he said.

''Olympic and Paralympic medallists, record breakers, national title holders - the list of  achievements the finalists and category winners have produced over the latest qualifying  period for the ILT Southland Sports Awards are, quite simply, outstanding and all  Southlanders can be very proud of the sportspeople who have been recognised.''

- © Fairfax NZ News