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Thursday, 27 December 2007200712271550

51 nominations for Halberg Awards
Outstanding performances by New Zealanders on the world stage have resulted in 51 nominations being considered for the 2007 Halberg Awards.

The awards, organised by The Halberg Trust, salute outstanding achievement by New Zealanders in sport.

Each year the trust calls for nominations from national sporting bodies and a voting academy before identifying four finalists for the sportsman, sportswoman and sports team categories.

From those 12 finalists the voting academy selects one, by secret ballot, to receive the supreme accolade for sporting excellence, the Halberg Award.

This will be announced at the Halberg Awards dinner in Christchurch on February 19.

There were 18 nominations for the sportsman category, 12 sportswoman, 11 team and 10 nominations for coach of the year.

The category finalists will not be announced until early next month so late performances by individual athletes or teams during 2007 can be considered by the academy.

Last year's awards attracted a record 73 nominations across the four categories.

The emerging talent category, included for the first time in 2006, received 18 nominations this year.

The four finalists are cyclist Edward Dawkins, who finished second in the 1000m time trial at the world under-19 championships, motor racing driver Brendan Hartley, who won the Euro Cup Formula Renault championship, golfer Danny Lee, runnerup at the Callaway junior world tournament at San Diego, and rower Anna Twigg, the world under-23 single scull champion who also finished sixth in the women's senior single scull.

The voting academy comprising 10 media representatives plus 19 athletes.

Award nominees:

Sportsman: Tom Ashley (wind surfing), Brad Butterworth (yachting), Moss Burmester (swimming), Josh Coppins (motocross), Scott Dixon (motor racing), Bevan Docherty (triathlon), Mahe Drysdale (rowing), Kris Gemmell (triathlon), Duncan Grant (rowing), Tony Grantham (bowls), Michael Johnson (para athlete, shooting), Jonny Reid (motor sport), Hayden Roulston (cycling), Daniel Sharp (para athlete, swimming), Dan Slater (yachting), Liam Watson (underwater hockey), Tim Wilkinson (golf), Jonathan Wyatt (mountain running).

Sportswoman: Nicole Begg (speed skating), Barbara Kendall (wind surfing), Joanna Lawn (triathlon), Sofie Pascoe (para athlete, swimming), Katherine Prumm (motocross), Kimberley Smith (athletics), Debbie Tanner (triathlon), Paula Tesoriero (para athlete, cycling), Valerie Vili (athletics), Sarah Walker (BMX cycling), Casey Williams (netball), Sam Warriner (triathlon).

Team: Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell (rowing), George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle (rowing), Men's coxless four (rowing), Nina and Lisa Daniels (synchronised swimming), Black Caps (cricket), Silver Ferns (netball), New Zealand men's underwater Hockey, Auckland rugby team, Team New Zealand (yachting), Black Sticks (hockey), New Zealand Warriors (rugby league).

Coach: Andrew Carr (underwater hockey), Robyn Broughton (netball), Grant Dalton (yachting), Calvin Ferguson (rowing), Kirsten Hellier (athletics), Pat Lam (rugby), Shane McLeod (hockey), Chris Nilsson (rowing), Gordon Tietjens (rugby), Kevin Towns (hockey).

-NZPA