History-making snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has claimed supreme honours at an extra significant Halberg Sports Awards ceremony in Auckland.
Photo: AFP
In what was the first edition of the event since the death of the man it was named after, New Zealand running legend Sir Murray Halberg, three months ago, the 21-year-old became the youngest winner of the top prize in 10 years.
Golf star Lydia Ko won the award in 2013 when she was just 16.
Sadowski-Synnott won New Zealand's first Winter Olympic gold medal by taking out the slopestyle title in Beijing last year, before adding silver in the big air category.
She also claimed bronze as a 16-year-old at the 2016 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
After beating out Ko, Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant, canoe sprint star Dame Lisa Carrington and cyclist Ellese Andrews to be crowned sportswoman of the year, Sadowski-Synnott picked up supreme honours ahead of the winners of the other categories.
They were fellow snow sports athlete Nico Porteous (sportsman of the year), the Black Ferns rugby side (team of the year), their coach Wayne Smith (coach of the year) and alpine sit-skier Corey Peters (para athlete of the year).
Halfpipe skiing specialist Porteous also won gold in Beijing, while the Black Ferns lifted the World Cup in stunning fashion on home soil and Peters claimed gold and silver at the Beijing Winter Paralympics.
Snow sports big night was capped off with halfpipe skier Gustav Legnavsky, who won gold at the Junior World Championships, taking out the Emerging Talent prize.
The Black Ferns added two more awards for the night.
Their dramatic line-out win to seal victory over England in the World Cup final was named New Zealand's favourite sporting moment of 2022, while star flanker and New Zealand Sevens captain Sarah Hirini was presented with the leadership award.
The 5000m gold medallist at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Sir Murray Halberg died three months ago aged 89.
The awards are a fundraiser for his Halberg Foundation, which has used sport as a means to help thousands of disabled New Zealanders.
2023 Halberg Awards winners
Supreme Award: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Sportswoman of the year: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Sportsman of the year: Nico Porteous
Para athlete/team of the year: Corey Peters
Team of the year: Black Ferns
Coach of the year: Wayne Smith
Emerging talent: Gustav Legnavsky
Leadership award: Sarah Hirini
Favourite sporting moment: Black Ferns World Cup-clinching lineout win
- RNZ