It's awards season, and yes that includes the sporting world.
On Thursday, the Halberg Awards will be dished out to New Zealand's sporting elite, which means it's also time for the annual misguided and uninformed debate on who we think deserves the gongs.
Despite what you might think, the Halbergs aren't a popularity contest. There is in fact a stringent judging criteria, so clear cut that deciding a winner should be a relatively easy choice.
Straight from the horse's mouth - or in this case the Halberg Awards website - this is the criteria the Halberg judging academy (a 26 member mix of former athletes, coaches and media) use to reach its conclusion:
- Regarding the achievement, was it in that sport's 'pinnacle event' (eg Olympics, Paralympics, Rugby World Cup).
- Regarding the achievement, was it a world record, or world ranking or recognition (eg 'World Player of the Year').
- Regarding the achievement, the quality of the field / competition.
- The global nature of the sport.
Translation: the pinnacle event is the absolute top level of the sport.
That's why the All Blacks won last year (Rugby World Cup is their pinnacle) and lots of Olympians are up this year. Non-Olympic sports normally have a world champs as the pinnacle, but then the world champs for an Olympic sport are a major or milestone event, not the pinnacle. Pinnacle is better than a major event, major better than milestone.
Confused? Probably. But the more important the event, the higher the achievement ranks.
A record breaking performance also deserves to be taken into consideration, as does a "World Player of the Year" award or the like.
The last two points are somewhat moot: if it's the pinnacle event of course the field will be quality, and global nature sounds more like a tie breaker than anything. If anything it's a licence to overlook achievement in minor sports (sorry Shannon McIlroy, undisputed men's singles bowls champion of the world).
With all that in mind, here are the big four categories in the running for the supreme award and who ticks the most boxes.
Sportswomen
Lydia Ko - Olympic silver medal, world number 1
Lisa Carrington - Olympic gold and bronze medallist
Luuka Jones - Olympic silver medal
Valerie Adams - Olympic silver medal
Winner: Lisa Carrington
Clear cut with only one Olympic champion in the group. There is a question of whether golf's pinnacle is now the Olympics or still the golf majors, giving Ko a good argument either way, but Carrington was unbeaten in the K200m in 2016 and made history as the first NZ woman to win multiple medals at a single Olympics. She was the only one of the finalists who had the opportunity for more than one medal, but regardless she should get the Halberg.
Sportsman
Joseph Parker - WBO Heavyweight Champion
Mahe Drysdale - Olympic gold medallist
Nick Willis - Olympic bronze medallist
Tom Walsh - Olympic bronze medallist
Winner: Mahe Drysdale
Let's clear this up first: Parker is A world champion, not THE world champion. He won a vacant title, rather than knocking over the champ. If he gets his hands on another belt or is the undisputed champ then we'll talk, but until then Mahe’s gold was a win in a pinnacle event and Parker's was not.
Team
Men’s 49er (Burling & Tuke) - Olympic gold medallists
Men’s Pair (Bond & Murray) - Olympic gold medallist
Team Sprint (Mitchell, Webster & Dawkins) - Olympic silver medallists
Women’s 470 (Aleh & Powrie) - Olympic silver medallists
Winner: Bond & Murray
This category is literally a two boat race. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke capped another dominant year in the 49er class, as did the all-conquering Men's Pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray. Polly Powrie and Jo Aleh's comeback from two disqualifications in Rio was remarkable, but was only for silver - as was the Men’s Team Sprint finish. By the slightest of margins Bond and Murray get the nod.
Disabled athlete
Anna Grimaldi - Paralympic gold medallist
Liam Malone - Double Paralympic gold medallist, Paralympic silver medallist, world record holder
Mary Fisher - Paralympic gold medallist, world record
Sophie Pascoe - Double Paralympic gold medallist, double Paralympic silver medalist, world record holder
Winner: Liam Malone
Possibly the closest of categories with all four finalists Paralympic champions in their own rights. Taking nothing away from Pascoe’s performance but she had more opportunities for medals, while Malone medalled in the 100m, 200m and 400m. Just imagine if Usain Bolt added the 400 to his repertoire.
Supreme Award
Lisa Carrington
Mahe Drysdale
Men’s Pair (Bond & Murray)
Liam Malone
Winner: Liam Malone
Here’s the reasoning: Malone and Carrington were the only multiple medal winners. They achieved more than the other category winners at their pinnacle. Again, Malone had more opportunities but he took them, and broke records in the process.
That ticks the second box, although records aren’t really the done thing in canoe sprint. Carrington may have been our first female athlete to win multiple Olympic medals, but based on the judging criteria, Liam Malone should be the first disabled athlete to be crowned Supreme Halberg Award winner.