The 2014/15 WAIS Athlete of the Year will be named at this weekend’s Annual Dinner celebrations at HBF Stadium.
The WA Institute of Sport’s premier award has again drawn an exceptional field of candidates, ranging from team sports, individual athletes and Rio Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.
The WAIS Athlete of the Year Award was first presented in 1985, with the inaugural trophy presented to tennis player Jenny Byrne. In the years since, the award has gone to iconic names such as golfer Craig Parry and triple Olympic gold medallist Rechelle Hawkes, whilst the incumbent WAIS Athlete of the Year – javelin thrower Kim Mickle – is one of five athletes to have won the coveted award twice.
There are ten athletes up for this year’s award, from nine nominations, with para-sailors Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden jointly nominated for their efforts in the Australian sonar crew. The outstanding achievements of our nominees are as follows:
Zoe Arancini (Water Polo)
Competing for the Australian Stingers at the 2015 FINA World Championships, Zoe Arancini was the star performer for the national side, with the 24 year-old selected onto the FINA World All Stars Team at the culmination of the tournament, where Australia finished fourth. Arancini also represented her country at the World League Finals and Kunshan Cup, with Australia medalling at both tournaments.
Caitlin Bassett (Netball)
Australia’s World Cup win over New Zealand in Sydney was supported in no small part by Diamonds’ goal shooter Caitlin Bassett. Bassett shot an incredible 48 goals at 94% accuracy as the Australians celebrated a third straight world cup triumph. Bassett was also instrumental as the West Coast Fever earned a first finals appearance in the ANZ Championship.
Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden (Sailing)
WA sailors Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden, competing with NSW’s Jonathon Harris earned regatta wins at the Delta Lloyd in the Netherlands, which was closely followed by victory at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth. The sonar class sailors are in strong contention for selection at next year’s Paralympic Games.
Melissa Hoskins (Cycling)
Track cyclist Melissa Hoskins helped Australia to a drought breaking gold medal success in the women’s team pursuit at the 2015 UCI Track World Championships in France. Australia smashed the world record and secured bragging rights over arch-rivals Great Britain in claiming the coveted rainbow jersey.
Natalie Medhurst (Netball)
Australian Diamonds Goal Attack Natalie Medhurst played a pivotal role in the team’s success at the 2015 Netball World Cup in Sydney. Medhurst shot 10 goals in the Diamonds’ three goal win over New Zealand in the final, whilst providing excellent service to Goal Shooter Caitlin Bassett. Medhurst was also a member of the West Coast Fever team that qualified for the finals of the ANZ Championship for the first time.
Sally Pilbeam (Para-Triathlon)
Heading into this year’s ITU World Championships as the reigning PT3 world champion, Sally Pilbeam successfully defended her crown to take gold in Chicago ahead of fellow Australian Kerryn Harvey. With the PT3 classification not part of the Paralympic roster for Rio in 2016, Pilbeam holds the distinction of having twice won the top level of competition available in her class.
Brianna Throssell (Swimming)
WA swimming talent Brianna Throssell made the most of her maiden senior long course World Championship campaign, to finish fourth in the women’s 200m fly at the world titles in Kazan, Russia in an impressive time of 2:06.78, only marginally shy of her personal best.
Matt Wearn (Sailing)
19 year-old Matt Wearn has enjoyed a stellar campaign on the international circuit, claiming a regatta victory in the men’s laser at the Delta Lloyd before backing up for silver at the ISAF World Cup event in Weymouth. Wearn earned Australian Sailing Team selection in January, with a bronze medal in Miami and has cemented a world ranking in the top ten.
Aaron Younger (Water Polo)
Australia’s campaign at the FINA World Championships in Russia in men’s water polo was dominated by the goal scoring form of Olympian Aaron Younger. Younger scored 19 goals for the Australian Sharks, second highest for the Championships as the Australians finished eighth. Younger was named in the seven-man FINA World All Stars squad at the end of the tournament.
The recipient of the 2014/15 WAIS Athlete of the Year will receive a custom made piece by Fremantle based artist Elizabeth Mavrick. The glass design, is symbolic of WAIS and encaptures the “Climb” sculpture housed within the WAIS HPSC lobby.
