Craig Kirkwood runs along the Mauao base track towards the finish line. Photo / George Novak
Craig Kirkwood runs along the Mauao base track towards the finish line. Photo / George Novak
It’s a double “wow” achievement for athletics and triathlon coach Craig Kirkwood, who won the Supreme Winner and Coach of the Year gongs at the 2022 Forsyth Barr Bay of Plenty Sports Awards in Rotorua on Friday.
A stunned Kirkwood has coached three highly successful athletes this year - triathlete Hayden Wilde, 1500-metre middle distance runner Sam Tanner, and aquabike triathlete Jono Gray.
He is now one of just three coaches to win the Supreme Award, with Kirkwood’s name joining Gordon Tietjens and Allan Bunting on the honours board. Kirkwood also won the BayTrust Coach of the YearAward.
Speaking at the awards ceremony via a live video link from Abu Dhabi, Kirkwood said he was overwhelmed.
“Wow, what an honour. Many of the past recipients of the Supreme Award are global superstars - Lisa Carrington, Peter Burling and Sam Cane to name a few. I’m just astounded my name is now alongside them. Thank you very much.”
BOP Sports Coach of the Year and Forsyth Barr Supreme Award winner Craig Kirkwood. Photo / Ben Fraser
Kirkwood said he wanted to say a “massive” thanks to Sports Bay of Plenty, BayTrust and Forsyth Barr for sponsoring the awards, and to his wife and family for their love and support.
“I also want to say a big thank you to all my athletes for their putting their trust and their careers in my care... I take that honour very seriously, and I hope I do it justice every day.”
Kirkwood congratulated all the finalists and winners, saying: “You are all amazing in your chosen sport.”
“I believe these kinds of awards are hugely valuable in recognising, celebrating and rewarding success.
“It’s been a massive year for me as a coach. I deal with so many amazing people from both ends of the performance spectrum. But for me, coaching is not all about winning titles, winning global medals or national medals. Although that is pretty cool, for me it’s about helping people and helping people thrive.
“I enjoy helping someone complete their first 10km as much as I do enjoy helping Hayden win an Olympic medal or a world champion title, and Sam Tanner becoming New’s Zealand best ever 1500-metre runner. Both are as equally satisfying to me.”
Kirkwood believed performance was only limited by the barriers people put up to protect themselves from failure.
“In November, 2016, Hayden Wilde came to me with a dream of making it to the Olympics. I had no idea whether he was good enough or not. But who was I to stand in the way of that dream? Four to five years later, not only did Hayden make the Olympics and win a medal, he is ranked number one in the world.
“So keep pushing, keep dreaming, keep believing, be brave and shoot for the stars. You never know what might happen - you might just land on the moon.”
Sport Bay of Plenty chief executive Heidi Lichtwark said there was “something special” about the talent that emerges from the Bay of Plenty.
“I think that’s a real testament to the strength of our physical activity sector and how much we value sport in our region.”
Meanwhile, Wilde, 25, won the Bayleys Real Estate Sportsman of the Year Award and was also named Athlete of the Year by the Adams Academy - a high-performance sports programme run at the University of Waikato Adams Centre in Mount Maunganui. Tanner was named Emerging Athlete of the Year by the Academy.
Hayden Wilde after winning New Zealand's first medal of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Photo / Photosport
Wilde received the awards after notching up a string of international achievements over the past 12 months, including a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
He was also the overall winner of the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Series, after winning events in London, Malibu and Toulouse.
Wilde was leading the points race in the 2022 World Triathlon Championships Series, having won in Hamburg and Leeds along with second placings in Montreal and Yokohama.
Wilde’s mother Sarah Wilde-Ennis had high praise for Kirkwood and accepted her son’s award on his behalf.
“Hayden’s has had a brilliant year. We’re always very proud of his achievements and this award is in recognition of all his hard work and dedication. I think Hamish now deserves a little bit of downtime to relax and chill out.”
Kirkwood and Wilde are in Abu Dubai, where the latter has just competed in another World Triathlon Championship Series race, narrowly missing out on clinching the 2022 World Triathlon Champion title.
Wilde placed third overall, and Frenchman Léo Bergere claimed the title.
