Otago's top female sports stars will be celebrated at the Halberg Awards this year.
Queen of the slopes Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, motocross champion Courtney Duncan and swimming sensation Erika Fairweather were announced yesterday as finalists for sportswoman of the year.
They will be up against kayaking great Dame Lisa Carrington and cyclist Ellesse Andrews, who won the UCI track championships league sprint title and the women’s keirin world title.
Sadowski-Synnott, of Wānaka, had another outstanding year, defending her slopestyle gold at the Aspen Winter X Games, while Duncan, originally from Palmerston and now based in Dunedin, won her fourth women’s motocross world title.
Fairweather, of Dunedin, made history by becoming the fourth women to break the 4min mark in the women’s 400m freestyle and won bronze at the world championships.
They are among the 30 finalists across six categories, trimmed down from the 76 nominations announced last month.
Sportsman of the year is headlined by golfer Ryan Fox, who claimed his fourth victory on the world tour after winning the BMW PGA Championship, world champion cyclist Aaron Gate, US Open champion squash player Paul Coll, All Blacks star Ardie Savea and racing driver Shane van Gisbergen.
World champion shot putter Lisa Adams is a finalist for para athlete/team, alongside para cyclists Nicole Murray and Anna Taylor, runner Danielle Aitchison and Cameron Leslie, for his performances in the pool and with the Wheel Blacks.
Team of the year features the All Blacks, Black Ferns and All Blacks Sevens, the Warriors and the women’s K4 500m world champion side.
Dunedin’s Lars Humer is up for coach of the year, as is Queenstown snow sport coach Sean Thompson.
They are finalists alongside women’s spring kayak coach Gordon Walker and Black Ferns sevens coach Cory Sweeny.
Wānaka snowboarder Lucia Georgalli, who won the snowboard slopestyle junior world title this year, is a finalist for emerging talent.
She is up against speed climber Julian David, kayaker Tara Vaughan, footballer Milly Clegg and junior world downhill mountain bike champion Erice Van Leuven.
The winners will be announced at the awards on February 14.
