Zoi Sadowski-Synnott named Supreme Halberg Award winner

New Zealand snow-boarding star Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has been awarded New Zealand’s supreme sporting honour for 2022 after becoming the 60th Supreme Halberg Award winner on Wednesday.

Sadowski-Synnott became the first New Zealander to win a Winter Olympics gold medal when she won the Slopestyle competition at the Beijing Olympics.

The Wanaka-based 21-year-old then went on to win a second medal, claiming silver in the Big Air competition, just days later.

Sadowski-Synnott, who was unable to be present at the glitzy ceremony at Spark Arena, had earlier claimed the hotly-contested New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year award ahead of former Supreme Halberg Award winners Lydia Ko and Dame Lisa Carrington, World Rugby Player of the Year Ruahei Demant and triple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ellesse Andrews.

Speaking on behalf of her daughter, Sean Synnott said in accepting the supreme award that it wasn’t altogether unexpected.

“She did say to us about three or four weeks ago: ‘What the f***? If I’m not going to win it this year, I’m never gonna win it’ - obviously without taking away anything from anybody else in the sports community.”

The two other finalists for the Supreme Award, as announced during the ceremony were fellow snow sports athletes Nico Porteous and Corey Peters.

Seven other awards were announced during the live event.

The remarkable feats of New Zealand Winter Olympians were further recognised by the Sportsman of the Year Award being handed out to Nico Porteous; who became the first New Zealand male to win a Winter Olympic gold medal when he prevailed in the Freeski Halfpipe at Beijing.

He claimed the honour ahead of fellow finalists: Olympic cyclist Aaron Gate, Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen, world No. 1 squash player Paul Coll and trampoline world champion Dylan Schmidt.

Somewhat predictably, the Black Ferns won the Team of the Year award for their remarkable victory in the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil. Other finalists comprised rowers Kerri Williams and Grace Prendergast; squash Commonwealth Games winners Joelle King & Paul Coll and King with Amanda Landers-Murphy; along with the New Zealand Eventing Team.

Corey Peters was named Para Athlete/Para Team of the year after double paralympic-medals, ahead of Para cyclist Nicole Murray; swimmers Dame Sophie Pascoe and Cameron Leslie and skier Adam Hall.

Peters pointed out what many in the room were thinking as more and more snow-sports athletes took to the stage as winners.

“The secret’s out. There’s something special in the Central Otago water.”

Meanwhile, the Coach of the Year award went to Black Ferns coach Wayne Smith after he led the team to their Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph. He edged out former winner Gordon Walker (canoe racing) and Craig Palmer (track cycling), Tommy Pyatt (snow sport) and Sean Thompson (snow sport).

“I feel embarrassed being up here by myself, rugby’s a team sport and you can’t do anything without that team,” Smith said. “I think I learned more from the women than they learned from me.”

“Thanks for enabling the often weird ideas of an old coach.”

Another snow-sports specialist took out the award for Emerging Talent, as skier Gustav Legnavsky’s performance in winning the gold medal in the freeski halfpipe at the Junior World Championships was judged to have been more impressive than fellow finalists Jenna Hastings (mountain bike junior world champion), Tara Vaughan (canoe racing), Cameron Gray (swimming) and Josh Willmer (Para Swimming).

The only award voted on solely by the New Zealand public, New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment of 2022, was awarded to the Black Ferns and their World Cup triumph - stealing the final lineout of the game five metres from their own tryline, against a previously-dominant England side.

Finally, Black Ferns Sevens captain, Sarah Hirini, was awarded the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award for her work in rugby - as a leader on the field and off the field, within the clubroom and in the community.

The event itself was both a significant milestone of achievement, and one of reflection and remembrance, as the first edition of the event since the passing of Sir Murray Halberg himself.

There were several moving tributes and reflections on the life and achievements of Halberg during the event.

The 60th Halberg Awards full list of winners and finalists:
Halberg Award (supreme) winner: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (snow sport)

Sportswoman of the Year winner: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (snow sport).

Finalists: Ellesse Andrews (cycling – track), Dame Lisa Carrington (sprint kayak), Lydia Ko (golf), Ruahei Demant (rugby),

Team of the Year winner: Black Ferns (rugby)

Finalists: Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy (squash – women’s doubles), Joelle King and Paul Coll (squash – mixed doubles), Kerri Williams and Grace Prendergast (rowing - pair), New Zealand Eventing Team (equestrian).

Sportsman on the Year: winner Nico Porteous (Snow sport)

Finalists: Aaron Gate (cycling - track), Dylan Schmidt (gymnastics - trampoline), Paul Coll (squash), Shane van Gisbergen (motorsport.

Para Athlete/Para team of the Year winner: Corey Peters (Para skiing)

Finalists: Adam Hall (Para skiing), Cameron Leslie (Para swimming), Nicole Murray (Para cycling), Dame Sophie Pascoe (Para swimming).

Coach of the Year winner: Wayne Smith (rugby)

Finalists: Craig Palmer (track cycling), Gordon Walker (sprint kayak), Sean Thompson (Skiing - snowboarding), Tommy Pyatt (Skiing - freeskiing),

Emerging Talent winner: Gustav Legnavsky (snow sport)

Finalists: Cameron Gray (swimming), Jenna Hastings (downhill mountain bike), Joshua Willmer (swimming), Tara Vaughan (sprint kayak).

New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment: Black Ferns win the final lineout of the game against the throw, 5 metres from their tryline, winning the World Cup. November 2022.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission