19.11.2009

VOTE NOW: OUR ATHLETES NEED YOUR SUPPORT

 

With less than two days left to cast your vote as part of the 2009 Sports Performer Awards, it is vital that the athletics fraternity rally behind our five nominees.

In a statement released this morning, the Age & the Sydney Morning Herald have confirmed a difference of less than 1% between the two current leaders of the Performer of the Year Award.

With Dani Samuels and Steve Hooker both nominated for this award, your vote could secure victory for either of our two World Champions.

Earlier this year at the Berlin IAAF World Championships, Samuels became the youngest ever world champion discus thrower capping off a stellar year of improvement on the back of her 9^th place at the Beijing Olympics.

In a sport often dominated by those in their late 20’s and early 30’s, the Sydney University student Samuels achieved a personal best of 65.44m to secure the title in the German capital.

Hooker joins Samuels in the Performer of the Year category on back of his similar success at the World Championships held this past August.

Despite suffering an adductor muscle injury in the week leading up to the event, Hooker ignored doctors’ requests to watch from the sideline leaping 5.90m in one of only the three jumps he undertook.

Clearly distressed as a result of pain, Hooker’s bravery is a testament to the Australian spirit and his success has resulted in him being the first Australian man to be both World Champion and Olympic gold medallist at the same time.

Together with Hooker to celebrate his miraculous win was his coach and Coach Performer of the Year Award nominee Alex Parnov.

After settling in Australia in 1996, Parnov has also coached former Australian World Champion Dimitri Markov, former world record-holder Emma George and 2000 Olympic silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva.

On the back of his most recent feat of conquering the Kokoda Track, Kurt Fearnley is nominated in the category of Performer of the Year with a Disability.

Setting off just days after completing the New York Marathon, 28-year-old Fearnley’s journey supported the Movember movement as a result of his loss of a family member to depression.

This unwavering determination is further proven in Fearnley’s one gold, two silver and a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics together with an unbeaten run of eight marathons worldwide.

Amy Pejkovic rounds out the nominees following her silver medal in the high jump at the 2009 World Youth Championships.

Despite admitting that it can be tough to balance her budding athletics career together with Year 12 studies and an up and coming career on the catwalk, Pejkovic managed to finish equal second with her Russian counterpart Mariya Kuchina at the Bressanone event leaping 1.85m (a new personal best).

If supporting our nation’s finest wasn’t motivation enough, your vote places you in the draw to win a share of over $6500 in prizes including a $5000 cash first prize.

 

VOTING CLOSES THIS FRIDAY (20 NOVEMBER 2009) AT 5.00PM EST.

 

Visit www.performerawards.com.au to VOTE NOW!!