Halberg Awards: Dame Lydia Ko holds off Dame Lisa Carrington to take New Zealand’s top sporting prize

Dame Lydia Ko poses with her Paris Olympics gold medal. Photo / Photosport

Dame Lydia Ko has added another accolade to her stellar 2024 efforts, taking out the top honour at the 62nd annual Halberg Awards.

Having already claimed an Olympic gold medal in Paris, won the Women’s British Open, become the youngest woman to be named in golf’s hall of fame and made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, the 27-year-old has now taken out Sportswoman of the Year, and the Supreme Halberg Award with it.

The Kiwi golfer also won the LPGA’s Tournament of Champions, and the Kroger Queen City Championship, as part of a golden 12-month period on the professional circuit.

Ko’s victory sees her named as the winner of the Supreme Halberg for the second time after she first lifted the honour in 2013, and Sportswoman of the Year for a fourth time, and the first since 2015.

Those two wins came at the expense of Dame Lisa Carrington, who also enjoyed an incredible 2024 which yielded three further gold medals to extend her status as New Zealand’s most decorated Olympian.

As well as Carrington, Ko claimed the Sportswoman prize ahead of fellow Paris gold medallist Ellesse Andrews, silver medallist Emma Twigg, women’s tennis doubles world No 2 Erin Routliffe, and White Ferns all-rounder Amelia Kerr, who was named as the ICC’s T20 cricketer and best women’s player for the year.

However, Carrington didn’t leave empty-handed. As part of her efforts in the women’s K4 500, she took out the honour for team of the year, along with Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan.

Carrington’s coach, Gordon Walker, also added another Coach of the Year honour to his collection – marking the sixth time he’s won the award.

Elsewhere, high jumper Hamish Kerr has been named as the Sportsman of the Year for his Paris gold medal, ahead of fellow Olympians Finn Butcher and Hayden Wilde, champion jockey James McDonald, and All Whites captain Chris Wood.

Anna Grimaldi added to her 2024 haul, which included gold and bronze Paralympics medals, with the Para Athlete of the Year award, her first time winning the award since her breakthrough campaign in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Fresh from sealing his reported multimillion-dollar transfer to English Premier League side Nottingham Forest, All Whites defender Tyler Bindon was also named as the Halberg Emerging Talent of the Year, after the 20-year-old successfully switched his allegiance from the US to New Zealand.

62nd Halberg Award winners:

• Supreme Halberg Award: Dame Lydia Ko (golf)
• Sportswoman of the Year: Dame Lydia Ko (golf)
• Sportsman of the Year: Hamish Kerr (athletics – high jump)
• Para Athlete of the Year: Anna Grimaldi (Para athletics)
• Team of the Year: Women’s K4 Sprint Kayak Crew (canoe racing)
• Coach of the Year: Gordon Walker (canoe racing)
• Emerging Talent: Tyler Bindon (football)
• Sport New Zealand Leadership Award: Marcus Daniell (tennis)
• Sir Murray Halberg Legacy Award in partnership with CityFitness : Michael Hynard

Recap of the entire evening:

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Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.