A golden 12 months for the state’s feminine athletes has been mirrored within the nominations for the 2022 WA Sports activities Star award.
9 of the 12 nominated athletes for the state’s highest particular person sporting honors are feminine, with the winner set to be topped on Thursday at Optus Stadium.
The awards have run since 1956 and boast a who’s who of WA sporting royalty amongst their earlier winners, together with Justin Langer, Nat Fyfe, Adam Gilchrist, Dennis Lillee, Ben Cousins and Luc Longley.
Reigning WA Sports activities Star Madison de Rozario has as soon as once more been nominated after one other golden 12 months, which noticed her named Australia’s Paralympian of the Yr in June and win two golds on the Commonwealth Video games.
She’s going to look to change into the primary back-to-back winner of the award since Sam Kerr in 2018, however will face stiff opposition from the Chelsea star herself, who completed third in Ballon d’Or voting and broke Tim Cahill’s document for many nationwide group objectives by an Australian.
West Coast Fever captain Courtney Bruce can also be within the working after enjoying a starring function in her group’s first Tremendous Netball title.
Pole vaulter Nina Kennedy loved a breakout 12 months on the world athletics scene as she cemented herself because the world quantity two following a bronze on the World Championships in Oregon and a primary Commonwealth Video games gold medal.
One other star who claimed his first ever Commonwealth Gold medal was Matthew Richardson, because the northern suburbs bicycle owner doubled up on golds within the veledrome.
Fellow two-wheeler within the combine is Jai Hindley, who went from power to power in 2022 as he turned one of many world’s greatest street cyclists, profitable the Giro d’Italia to change into simply the second Australian to win a Grand Tour after Cadel Evans .
LPGA world quantity 5 Minjee Lee loved a profession 12 months in 2022 due to her second main title victory, the US Ladies’s Open and he or she additionally obtained the Rolex Annika Main Award for the tour’s most constant participant on the 5 majors.
Alana King made her debut for the ladies’s Take a look at group in January and helped the aspect win the Ashes, the Phrase Cup, and a Commonwealth Video games gold medal.
Perth Lynx skipper Sami Whitcomb captained the Opals to a second-placed end in World Cup qualifying, earlier than averaging 11 factors and three.6 assists per recreation to assist Australia to a bronze medal on the Cup.
Kristina Krstic turned simply the second West Aussie to win a gold medal in garden bowls when she triumphed within the pairs on the Commonwealth Video games.
Canoe sprinter Yale Steinpreis made her first ever nationwide senior group final 12 months and reached the A closing of each occasion she entered on the two ICF Canoe Dash World Cups she attended.
One other canoeist, para-athlete Benjamin Sainsbury, was nominated for the award after taking the gold within the VL1 200 on the 2022 ICF Canoe Dash and Paracanoe World Championships in Canada.
Sandra O’Keefe (Calisthenics), Derek Gatley (Dance Sport, Ballroom Dancing) and Ian Toy (Lacrosse) will all obtain the Might Campbell Medal for dedication to sport, having contributed nearly 200 mixed years of service.
