GILMOUR AND PARKER CLINCH NSW SPORTS AWARD HAT-TRICK

World champions, surfer Stephanie Gilmore and para-triathlete Lauren Parker, were crowned Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Year with a Disability for a third time at the 2022 rebel NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony gala dinner at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour tonight.

Gilmore previously won the Athlete of the Year Award in 2010 and 2014, while Parker was named Athlete of the Year With a Disability in 2018 and 2019.

This year, Gilmore became the most dominant surfer in female history winning her eighth World Title to make her the greatest surfer ever in world surfing, overtaking fellow Australian Layne Beachley (seven world titles). The Kingscliff surfer previously won the world title in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018.

On the final day of competition in the World Surf League in California in September, Gilmore had to contest five heats to finally be crowned the 2022 World Champion.

Parker, who remains the world’s top ranked para-triathlete, demonstrated her dominance enjoying World Championship success in both short course and long course distances. She also became the first para-athlete in history to hold simultaneous World Championship titles in both World Triathlon and Ironman triathlon events.

Snowboard halfpipe competitor, Valentino Guseli was voted Young Athlete of the Year and swimmer Jasmine Greenwood named Young Athlete of the Year with a Disability.

At 16 years of age, Guseli was Australia's youngest representative at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics where he finished sixth in the snowboard halfpipe discipline.

He won a silver and a bronze medal during the 2022 World Cup and finished the FIS World Cup season ranked fourth overall on the slopestyle standings.

Greenwood, aged 18, was selected onto the Australian Team to compete at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships held in Portugal in June and the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham in August.

At the World Para Swimming Championships, Greenwood won a silver and two bronze medals and then claimed gold in the Women's 200m Individual Medley (SM10 Class) at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Rugby League enjoyed success with the dominant Penrith Panthers named Team of the Year, and the NSW Rugby League judged Organisation of the Year.

There was also success for athletics with triple World Masters gold medallist, middle distance runner Janelle Delaney, chosen as Masters Athlete of the Year while Alex Stewart, coach of world champion high jumper Eleanor Patterson, was voted Coach of the Year.

International cricket umpire Claire Polosak was named Official of the Year, Volleyball NSW Chief Executive Officer Baz Wedmaier earned the Administrator of the Year honour, and the Para Matildas Cerebral Palsy Women’s Football Team claimed the Team of the Year with a Disability title.

Netball NSW claimed back-to-back Event of the Year titles with the management of the Netball NSW Senior State titles.

Sport NSW Chairperson, Chris Hall, congratulated all winners and finalists saying they brought great credit to themselves, to their sport, and to the state.

“NSW is the premier state for sport in Australia and our brilliant winners and finalists are beacons of inspiration for aspiring athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators. We pay tribute to our winners and wish them every success in the years to come,” he said.

The Awards Ceremony also saw Brad Dalton (Basketball), Craig Johnston (Football), Phil Kearns AM (Rugby Union), Joanne ‘Joey’ Peters (Football), Prashanth Sellathurai (Gymnastics) and Liesl Tesch AM (Wheelchair Basketball & Para Sailing) inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions.

The full list of Award winners are:

Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications