Eliza McCartney.
The New Zealand Herald is pleased to announce the six winners for the 2015 Future Stars of Sports Awards.
Each year the Herald recognises the talents of six promising young athletes and rewards them with a $1500 training grant and a product pack.
Our winners are:
Zoe McBride (19) - rowing
Zoe won gold in the lightweight double at the U23 World Championships last year. Earlier this year, Zoe won gold in both the premier lightweight singles and doubles events at the NZ Rowing Championships.
Eliza McCartney (18) - pole vaulter
Eliza is ranked second best in the Commonwealth and third best in the world at U20s. She won golds at the Australian Junior Nationals at U16s and U17s in 2011 and 2012.
Nicholas Kergozou De La Boessiere (19) - track and road cyclist
Nicholas was national champion in the omnium and team sprint in 2014 and he also won gold in the Oceania kilo event as well as silver and bronze in the sprints and scratch. He was second fastest in the world kilo.
Piera Hudson (19) - alpine ski racer
Piera was overall women's national champion last year. She podiumed in events in Europe and America this year and won the Australasian yellow bib for the giant slalom.
Chris Arbuthnott (16) - para swimming
Chris won medals in national championships last year including six golds and holds NZ para mens S9, SB9 and SM9 records. He ranked third in the world in the men's 100m butterfly S9.
Kurtis Imrie (19) - canoe sprint (kayak)
Kurtis won four gold medals at the U18 Oceania Championships last year and won Junior Sportsperson of the Year at the NZ Canoe Sprint Awards as well as winning Emerging Sportsperson of the Year at the Kapiti Coast Sports Awards.
Most interest in this series will lie with four players born since the millennium.