Sports Performer Awards

Sports Performer of the year – Matthew Mitcham

Matthew Mitcham won the hearts of the nation with his spectacular final dive to win gold in the 10 metre platform at the Beijing Olympics. It was the highest scoring dive in Olympic history and denied the Chinese a clean sweep of the medals. It was the eighth and last medal in a sport that China dominates and was expected to snatch.

Mitcham cried and bounced around the pool deck buzzing upon winning gold. "It's going to take a while to sink in," Mitcham said. "My cheeks hurt from smiling. My face hurts from the chlorine. My legs are sore from jumping up and down. I'm in pain and I'm tired. But I'm so happy." It was Australia's first men's diving gold since Dick Eve in 1924. It had been a tumultuous journey to the top for the 20 year-old. He retired in his teenage years after physical and emotional burn-out, became a high-diver a the Royal Sydney Easter Show to make money.

After a nine-month hiatus he returned to the sport to build himself into the champion he is today. His rocky road to the top was worth it. "Coming back and doing everything I did was to win an Olympic gold medal. When I was training every single day, twice a day, 11 sessions a week, 30 hours a week, before every single dive I said to myself, `I want to win an Olympic gold'. It was all worth it." -Jessica Halloran

Team Performance of the Year, Women’s 4 x 200m relay

They weren't supposed to win. Maybe a medal if everything fell nicely into place,
possibly a bronze or perhaps at best a silver memento to take back to Australia. But
certainly not gold. However somebody in Beijing forgot to mention that to the four women in Australia's 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Despite the United States being unbackable odds to win, out there in Lucky Lane 7, Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer and Linda MacKenzie cared little for what was `supposed' to happen and each produced stunning performances to not only become the first nation other than the US to win the event at Olympic level, but for good measure they sliced almost six seconds from the previous world record mark.

Coach Performance of the Year, Alastair Clarkson, Hawthorn

When Alastair Clarkson was appointed coach of the Hawks in 2004, the common
refrain was "Alastair who?"

The young coach won no favours from impatient media pundits in his first two years with his draft-led rebuilding strategy that placed a premium on youth and seemingly no value on win-loss ratios. Clarkson earned his first distinction as a tactitian of note in 2007 with his unconventional four-man forward set-up, thereafter dubbed "Buddy's Box".

In 2008, "Clarkson's Cluster" was the talk of the town, right up until grand final day, when Clarkson and his men delivered the Hawks their first premiership in 17 years.

Young Performer of the Year, Melissa Wu, Diving

Diving star Melissa Wu has achieved a lot for a 16 years old who is 37 kilograms and under five feet tall.

Wu eclipsed some of Australia's top divers and qualified for two 10m events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she won a silver medal with Briony Cole and finished sixth in the individual event.

The girl from Sydney became Australia's youngest national diving champion in 2006 winning gold in the Australian Open Diving Championships. This feat earned Wu a place in Australia's 2006 Commonwealth Games squad at just 13 years of age, where she won a silver medal in the 10m final.

Wu also won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne.

Performer of the Year with a Disability – Matthew Cowdrey

Cowdrey was born with a congenital amputation to his lower left arm and was just five years old when he started swimming.

Now 19, Cowdrey has already achieved Paralympic, World Championship and Commonwealth Games glory and broken over 70 world records, his first when he was 13.

At the Beijing Paralympic Games, the South Australian broke five world records, winning five gold medals as well and three silver. At Athens Cowdrey won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

His amazing achievements in the pool have earned him an array of accolades including an Order of Australia Medal in 2006, 2008 Athens Paralympics team leader, Telstra Swimmer of the Year with a Disability 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007, Paralympian of the Year Award in 2004 and Junior Male Athlete of the Year in 2005.

International Performer of the Year, Michael Phelps, Swimming

It's not because we are a nation of swimming watchers that we noticed the achievements of American Michael Phelps. The entire world looked on in awe as Phelps became the star of the Beijing Olympic Games.

During nine days in China, Phelps did this: He competed in eight events - five individual, and three relays. He won every one of them, and in doing so surpassed the seven gold won by compatriot Mark Spitz in the pool in Munich in 1972. But just for good measure, Phelps broke the world record in seven of those eight events, and in the other, the 100m butterfly, he managed to produce a personal best time.

Not only was his eight gold haul a record likely to never be beaten, but with those eight, plus the six gold he won in Athens four years earlier when attempting to better Spitz, gives him 14 gold medals, a tally which makes Phelps the greatest Olympian in history. Not a bad nine days for the Baltimore Bullet.

Click Here to see our 2007 Honour Roll