Sporting achievers acknowledged

Marlborough’s most-successful Olympian claimed the main prize when the 2024 Marlborough Sports Awards were staged in Blenheim last night.

Rower Tom Murray, who backed up his gold in the Kiwi eight at the Tokyo Olympics with silver in the four at the Paris Games, picked up his second Marlborough Sportsperson of the Year title, having been voted the region’s supreme athlete in 2021.

Tom’s effort in Paris, with a relatively new-look crew, came after he had been sidelined with long COVID for 18 months between Games regattas, underling the remarkable resilience of this world-class athlete.

The overall winner said he was thrilled to be acknowledged in front of the local sporting fraternity.

“When you are up in Cambridge and you are focussed on doing the hard work, getting lost in the routine, sometimes you lose sight of the bigger picture,” he said.

“Time just flies by, so when the opportunity comes to come back [to Marlborough], whether it be in a social setting or a more formal setting like this, you hear other people’s stories as well. That makes you feel part of something much bigger than yourself.

“It is hard to put into words to describe just how it makes you feel … that sense of belonging … it is hugely rewarding.”

To become Sportsperson of the Year, Tom had to win his Greywacke Sportsman of the Year category against a group of accomplished athletes, then see off the challenge of the four other category winners, all outstanding in their respective fields.

The Marlborough Weekly Sportswoman of the Year was claimed, for the third year in a row, by Olympic dressage exponent Melissa Galloway. Melissa enjoyed a superb year, making her Olympic debut and producing the best ever Games score by a Kiwi combination.

WK Advisors and Accountants Team of the Year was the Tasman Mako, who made history with a last-gasp Ranfurly Shield win in Napier, then defended the prized Log o’ Wood twice, thrilling the local faithful.

The junior categories were well received, 17 nominees from a wide range of sports being acknowledged before winners were named.

The Sport Tasman Junior Sportswoman of the Year was NZ footballer Katie Pugh, who capped her season with a trip to the under-17 World Cup. Coast to Coast two-day race victor Finn McKenzie was named the Churchill Hospital Junior Sportsman of the Year.

Three new categories were added to the awards night. The 23 Grove Rd Emerging Talent section saw twin hockey players Millie and Maddie Large share the female award, with table tennis player Oliver Phipps winning the male prize.

The MTF Finance Community Team of the Year, introduced to recognise teams who perform well locally, was taken out by the Rangers AFC combination, after a superb season doing the double in the Nelson competition.

There was also a Bayleys Community Heroes category, whereby sporting bodies nominate people who have done a lot for their sport in various capacities. Five names were randomly drawn and they received double passes to the event and a small gift.

A regular feature of past awards is the Callahan and Martella Electrical Marlborough Medal segment. This year it was presented to Ian Woolley, a regular awards nominee and an exceptional ploughman who has represented his country on the world stage.

Guest speaker was international rally star Hayden Paddon who took part in an entertaining Q&A session with MC, top comedian Tony Lyall, a former MBC student.

The event was organised jointly by The Marlborough Weekly, Sport Tasman and Blenheim Round Table.