Celebration time for our top achievers

FULL HOUSE: Guests listen to MC Grant Walker.

"This is what a sports awards should be about," was the opinion circulating among the sporting fraternity at the Wairarapa Times-Age 2014 Sports Awards at the Copthorne Hotel Resort and Solway Park on Wednesday night.

The sold-out event, presided over by radio personality Grant Walker, fielded 300 guests stretched wall to wall, with guest speakers joking they would do their best to turn 180 degrees to engage as many as they could.

Supreme winner for the evening was amateur heavyweight Muay Thai world champion Zane Hopman.

The 22-year-old kickboxer, who trains at Fortitude Muay Thai Boxing Club in Masterton, was visibly moved as he took the podium.

He had already received the Senior Sports Personality of the Year title.

Hopman had won the amateur heavyweight crown at the world Muay Thai championships in Malaysia last month, as well as the New Zealand WMC cruiser weight title. He is undefeated after 15 fights.

Holding up the supreme trophy, he said, "I'm not allowed to swear, but ... "

He said a lot of people had come together to "make dreams, ideas, a reality".

Hopman thanked his table, for being in their company.

"It's really humbling to be around other people who put the dedication and time into their sports, big or small."

He thanked his club, Fortitude Thai Boxing, and the members of the team, "all aligned together".

"Without the rest of them, I wouldn't be standing here, holding this up."

Champion shooter John McLaren was nearly overcome when he was announced as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Times-Age sports editor Gary Caffell.

McLaren has won the Wairarapa championship trophy more than 15 times and competed at the national championships every year since 1967 and has come fourth in a Ballinger Belt. He has shot at the UK champs at Bisley on nine occasions and represented New Zealand at the world champs, the Palma Trophy, eight times.

He has been named in the New Zealand team to contest the Palma Trophy in the United States next year.

McLaren acknowledged he had been shooting a long time.

"We always used to say to each other, nine words of wisdom from Winston Churchill: Never give in, never give in, never give in.

"We're such a small nation, taking on Great Britain, America, Australia, Canada.

"We all stuck together - great times.

"We have marvellous riflemen in Wairarapa, great shooters.

"There will be more to come."

It was a night for the small schools, with 36-roll Whareama School winning Primary School of the Year, and Solway College winning College of the Year.

Cash winners on the night were the disabled athletes, with Keelan Ward winning Disabled Sports Personality of the Year, taking $500 from award sponsor Mitre 10 Mega. Runners-up Ruby Morrison and Samantha Paku-Rimene received $250 each.