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World Discus Champ Samuels Wins Aussie Sports Award
November 19
SAMUELS AND FEARNLEY TOP 2009 NSWIS AWARDS
Discus queen Dani Samuels and the king of Wheelchair Track & Road Kurt Fearnley are tonight the toast of NSW sport after gaining top honours at the glittering 2009 NSW Institute of Sport Annual Awards Dinner at the Australian Jockey Club in Sydney.
Samuels, at 21, became the youngest ever discus winner at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Berlin with two monster throws – bettering her personal best on two occasions to win the Communities NSW, Sport and Recreation Female Athlete of the Year.
Fearnley’s win in the Clubs NSW Male Athlete of the Year comes just 24 hours after his extraordinary 11-day crawl to conquer the toughest challenge of his life, the Kokoda Trail.
The award comes after his six amazing wheelchair marathon wins throughout 2009 for the Paralympian star from Carcoar – which included the coveted London Marathon.
Samuels, the engaging young star from Merrylands capped off a great night when she was also awarded the Classic Sportswear Most Memorable Moment for her amazing performance which captured the imagination of the nation.
The humbling Samuels spoke from the heart when she won the world title, saying: "That was just the competition of my life, I knew I could throw 64 at least and I am just so happy to be able to do that under pressure.
"When it landed over 65 I thought, 'Oh my God' - I still can't believe I threw that far because it just felt so effortless, so perfect.
"I didn't force them at all and it shows how important technique is. Once you nail it, it just comes out by itself."
The likeable Beijing Olympian, who now has London 2012 very much in her sights, beat Kaarle McCulloch (Cycling), Nicky Souter (Sailing), Libby Trickett (Swimming) and Holly Crawford (Winter Sports) for the top female award.
In the Memorable Moment she beat:
· Cycling whiz kid from Dubbo Megan Dunn, who won three junior world titles for the second successive year;
· Fellow cyclist Kaarle McCulloch, won gold in the women’s team sprint with Anna Meares at the 2009 cycling world championships. (McCulloch anchored the team, held off the British rider and set a new world record of 33.140 seconds.) and;
· Paralympic legend Kurt Fearnley, who won the London marathon for the first time in his career. (Fearnley sprinted for the line against his arch-rival David Weir, who he edged out by 0.01 seconds.)
Samuels coach Dennis Knowles beat the who’s who of NSW Coaching, Gary Sutton (Cycling), Grant Stoelwinder (Swimming), Chava Sobrino (Diving) and Guy Wilding (Canoe Sprint) to win the Olympic Winter Institute Australia Coach of the Year award.
And while Dani and Denis were the talk of the town on the athletics arena, it was Fearnley who stopped at nothing in his quest for marathon titles, who won the Clubs NSW Male Athlete of the Year.
The Carcoar native claimed victories in six marathons during the nomination period, including the London Marathon for the first time in his career, edging out arch-rival David Weir by 0.01 seconds.
"I've been so close here before so to finish on the other side of the ledger is just awesome," Fearnley said after his London triumph.
"This was one of the strongest fields the sport has ever seen and it's a huge honour to come out on top.
"Everything I've done in the chair this year has been geared towards this race and it all clicked today.
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