Double success for Ulmer at Halberg Awards

Sarah Ulmer (R) and coach and partner Brendon Cameron arrive at the Halberg Sports Awards this evening. Picture / Fotopress

Sarah Ulmer picked up yet another accolade when the Olympic gold medallist and world champion track cyclist scooped the 2004 Halberg Award and sportswoman of the year title in Auckland tonight.

Ulmer was a leading candidate for the Halberg award after her 3000m individual pursuit gold medal in Athens, and World Cycling Championship success in Melbourne last year.

Not surprisingly gold medal Olympians dominated the categories with triathlete Hamish Carter claiming the sportsman award, and rowing twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell the sports team of the year award.

Carter, former world triathlon No.1, produced a fairytale finish in Athens to win gold, four years after a poor performance at the Sydney Olympics when he was favoured for a medal.

The Evers-Swindell twins - Halberg Award winners in 2001 - continued their dominance of the women's double scull with gold in Greece.

They remain unbeaten in the event since the 2001 world rowing championships.

Their coach Dick Tonks capped the night by winning the coach of the year.

Ulmer's stunning year began in May at the World Cycling Championships where she crushed Australia's Katie Mactier in the 3000m individual pursuit in a world record time of three minutes 30.604 seconds.

Three months later at Athens, Ulmer, 28, set aside the anguish of missing a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with what is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest performances by any athlete at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Entering the competition as favourite, she responded with the fastest qualifying time by over three seconds and a new world record of 3min 26.400sec.

In the quarterfinals she was again the fastest of the eight and in the final Ulmer blitzed Mactier, again, by over three seconds with another world record time of 3min 24.537sec.

Last year she also lowered the world record for the 3000m individual pursuit by over six seconds.

For the sportswoman of the year, Ulmer beat surf lifesaver Rachael Anderson, world champion downhill mountain biker Vanessa Quin and world individual aerobic champion Angela McMillan.

In the men's category Athens triathlon silver medallist Bevan Docherty, kayaker Ben Fouhy who also claimed silver in the K1000, and cyclist Greg Henderson were also nominated.

For the teams' title the Evers-Swindell with heldchallenges from the Black Sox who won their third consecutive world softball title in Christchurch last February, the bowls pair of Sharon Sims and Jo Edwards who won the 2004 World Bowls Championships, and the New Zealand rugby sevens side who won the International Rugby Board World Sevens Series during 2004, for the fifth consecutive year.

In other awards All Black great Sir Brian Lochore received the Sport and Recreation New Zealand leadership award in recognition of his outstanding contribution in his numerous coaching roles and sports administration.

Lochore played for the All Blacks 68 times between 1964 and 1971, including 25 tests, 18 of them as captain.

He later went on to coach the All Blacks between 1985 and 1987, with his term in charge culminating with New Zealand's success in the inaugural World Cup in 1987.

The All Blacks reclaimed the Bledisloe Cup from Australia in his final test as coach later that year.

Lochore also assisted the All Blacks at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa when he acted in the capacity of campaign manager, and was named an All Blacks selector last year.

Inducted into the New Zealand Sport's Hall of Fame tonight were the nine-strong members of the New Zealand men's cross country team, who won the 1975 world championships - John Walker, Euan Robertson, Dave Sirl, John Dixon, John Sheddan, Bryan Rose, Jack Foster, Kevin Ryan and Dick Quax.

Danyon Loader, the 1996 double Olympic swimming gold medal winner in the 200 and 400m freestyle was also inducted.

2004 Halberg Award winners:

Halberg Award: Sarah Ulmer (cycling)
Sportsman of the Year: Hamish Carter (triathlon)
Sportswoman of the Year: Sarah Ulmer (cycling)
Sports Team of the Year: Caroline & Georgina Evers-Swindell (rowing).
Coach of the Year: Dick Tonks (rowing)

- NZPA