It's an impressive list, and all will be in contention for the top honours at the Otago Sports Awards on May 22.
Sport Otago released the list of finalists for the ASB-sponsored awards yesterday and the names reflect an excellent year for the province.
Sport Otago said the level of performance required to make the final three in each category was as high as it had been over the 20 years the awards had been held.
An exceptionally strong women's category includes dual international Suzie Bates, Wanaka-based multisporter Nicky Samuels and cycling golden girl Alison Shanks.
Bates represented New Zealand in basketball at the Beijing Olympics and then hogged headlines at the women's cricket world cup when she smashed a stunning 168 off 105 balls against Pakistan.
Samuels dropped only one race on her way to taking the national triathlon series and, despite injuries, rose to a peak International Triathlon Union ranking in the past year of second in the world.
Shanks' rapid rise in cycling - she was a netball player just four years ago - reached a glorious peak when she won the 3000m individual pursuit title at the world track championships in Poland last month.
Shanks backed up that ride with a silver medal in the teams pursuit, a clear indication she has a key role to play in New Zealand cycling's bid for medals at the 2012 London Olympics.
Olympic rower Hamish Bond, Paralympic skier Adam Hall and Black Caps wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum feature in the sportsman of the year category.
Bond, last year's Otago sportsperson of the year, rowed at the Olympics with the New Zealand coxless four and won four red jackets at the national championships.
Hall has been a regular contender for the Otago junior sports award but his consistent success on the international disabled skiing scene has been recognised by his inclusion in the senior category.
McCullum maintained his status as one of world cricket's elite wicketkeeper-batsmen, averaging 39 in 11 tests and 32 in 25 ODIs during the qualifying period.
He also scored 283 runs at 70.75 in twenty/20 cricket and scored a century in his Indian Premier League debut.
The finalists for the Otago team of the year award are the Otago cricket team, which won the domestic twenty/20 title and reached the State Shield final; the Otago Under-21 netball team, which won the national title for the first time since 1998; and Nina and Lisa Daniels, who represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games before retiring from synchronised swimming.
Craig Palmer, a sports scientist and the personal coach of Shanks and Hayden Roulston, Otago cricket coach Mike Hesson, and cycling-triathlon guru Mark Elliott, who guided Bevan Docherty to bronze in Beijing, form a remarkably strong group in the coach of the year section.
Junior finalists are Wanaka freeskier Jossi Wells, who makes the list for a fourth straight year, Alexandra cyclist Sophie Williamson and Dunedin bowler Mark Watt.
The overall Otago sportsperson of the year will be selected from the winners of the sportswoman, sportsman, team and junior awards.
Also to be presented at the awards are the services to sport award and the innovation in sport award.
Past winners of the services to sport award include netball great Lois Muir, broadcasting stalwart Iain Gallaway and Otago Daily Times sports reporter Alistair McMurran.
The innovation in sport award was jointly presented for the first time last year to John and Mary Lee, and to Michael Hill.
The awards will be presented at a dinner held at the Dunedin Town Hall on Friday, May 22.
The guest speaker is three-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Mahe Drysdale, while to mark the 20th anniversary of the awards, many previous winners will return to speak.
The judges for the Otago sports awards are McMurran, University of Otago director of development and sports medicine authority Dr Dave Gerrard, Academy of Sport South Island chief executive Kereyn Smith, Sport Otago chief executive John Brimble and Otago Daily Times sports editor Hayden Meikle.
Otago sports awards
The finalists
Sportsman: Hamish Bond (rowing), Adam Hall (disabled skiing), Brendon McCullum (cricket).
Sportswoman: Nicky Samuels (triathlon), Alison Shanks (cycling).
Team: Otago Volts (cricket), Otago Under-21 (netball), Nina and Lisa Daniels (synchronised swimming).
Coach: Mark Elliott (multisport and cycling), Mike Hesson (cricket), Craig Palmer (cycling).
Junior: Mark Watt (bowls), Jossi Wells (freeskiing), Sophie Williamson (cycling).
