DON’T forget to nominate your favourite sportstar for 2013. Here are the winter winners of the Leader-Tynan Honda Sportstar. Click here to nominate a Sportstar: http://www.theleader.com.au/story/306703/sportstar-nominations/?cs=1633
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Seniors
Sakio Bika, 34 of Kogarah: On June 22 2013, Bika became a world champion when he defeated Marco Antonio Peribán via 12-round majority decision, thus taking the vacant WBC super middleweight title. The win was his 32nd from only 39 professional bouts in 13 years (21 knockouts, 5 losses, two draws).
Craig Alexander, 40, of Cronulla won his third Half Ironman triathlon race in two months then the three-time world Ironman champion easily won the Lake Stevens, US race in July.
Luke Lewis, 29, of Cronulla won the Man of the Match award for NSW in Origin One and went on to be one of the best players during rugby league’s 2013 State of Origin series.
Mitchell Hughes, 18, of Dolans Bay finished 15th at the world junior canoe sprint championships in Welland, Canada, after finishing 6th in the b-final with his Queensland-based K2 paddling partner Jayden Newell.
Reagan Wickens, 18, of Grays Point competed in the world dwarf games in Lansing, Michigan, US, and won four gold medals in the 100 metres freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200 IM and 200m free and broke existing world dwarf games records in each event. He also won a gold in the 4 x 50 freestyle relay.
Juniors
Mitchell Pepper, 15, of Woronora Heights competed for a third year for Engadine High in the CHS State Athletics Championships, winning three gold medals in the under 15 boys javelin, shot put and discus, where he threw an amazing 59 metres and won by 6 metres. He had placed 2nd and 3rd before, 18 times at state level.
Jack Ford, 16, of Cronulla won the NSW State Marathon Championships (U16) in the K1 10km — the first time he had contested the state titles after only three months training.
Jordan Baker, 16, of Gymea. The Sutherland Sharks and Illawarra Stingrays first grader from Kirrawee High has been selected in the Australian School Girls Team which will head off to Britain in January. She has played for Sydney East and the NSW CHS in Canberra.
Paris Whittaker, 15, of Caringbah, competed in the Australian Surfing Titles and came fourth in the open women’s final. She had earlier placed 3rd in the NSW State Junior Titles, 4th in the NSW Schools Championships, 3rd at the Billabong Occy’s Grom Comp and achieved a ranking of 9th at the end of the ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series for 2012-13.
Junior team
Cronulla Surf Club under 15 Girls Beach Relay Team won gold once again in both the NSW and Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, backing up from 2012 when they also won the U15s relay at the national titles (competing up an age) — the first team to achieve this.
Sports club
St George Rowing Club won the NSW Club Championship for the first time in the club’s 64-year history.
All schools team
Kirrawee High Open Girls Football Team was selected as 2013 NSW CHS (Combined High Schools) Open Girls Football Team. One member of the team, Jordy Baker, was also selected in the NSW All Schools Football squad, and the Australian Schoolgirls team.
Masters
Frank Scorzelli, 66 of Bardwell Park won for three golds: at the NSW Cross Country Championships at Nowra in the 65-70 age 8km race (34min 50sec); the NSW short course 5km (21.08) and the NSW half marathon at Bankstown (2hr 8min.30)
Anita Saviane, 70, of Caringbah swam at the World Masters Games in August and won gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres butterfly, the 200m individual medley and the 4 x 50 metres medley relay and silver in the 400 metres IM and bronze in the 800m free. Earlier, she broke NSW records for women 70-74 years at the AUSSI Masters Swim Club Long Course and set national records in the 800m fly (20.46.58) and 400m fly (9.47.43).
Senior teams
Arncliffe Aurora FC all age A team went undefeated under coach Eddie Briscoe and gained promotion into the St George Association Premier League, boasting a huge goal difference over the rest of the teams.
Blackwell Cup Tennis Team of Mortdale consisting of Greg Westwood, Brad Middleton, Michael Vickery, Ivan Stride, Manuel Radic in the Inter-district competition, won the annual Blackwell Cup, Division 2, contested by teams representing districts across greater Sydney. The seniors competed in the open division against many teams their junior. After winning Division 2, they enjoyed a rare win over Division 1 in the semi-finals before eventually losing the overall final.
Cronulla Sutherland Kayak Club’s K4 women team of Dallas Newman, Lorraine Harper-Horak, Pauline Findlay and Yola Jan won silver at the World Masters Games in Italy in the K4-1000metres and 200m. Dallas and Lorraine also got silver in K2-1000, and bronzes in the K2-200 and K2 marathon.
