Golden Sarah tops up the glow

Sarah Ulmer, winner of the Supreme Halberg Award, with her partner and coach, Brendon Cameron. Picture / Paul Estcourt

New Zealand's Olympic golden girl, Sarah Ulmer, capped her brilliant year by taking the supreme Halberg Award last night.

Ulmer, who spearheaded the greatest year ever in New Zealand cycling, was honoured once again with a haka by the Olympic men's hockey team - an act which, at the Athens team village, had brought her to tears after her stunning ride to victory at the velodrome.

Athens last August seemed like "a lifetime ago", Ulmer said last night.

It was there that she delivered what has been hailed as one of the greatest performances by any athlete at the Olympics.

Ulmer, as gracious and elegant last night as she was on the winner's dais at Athens, thanked her supporters, saying: "All of you had way more confidence in me than I had in myself for my whole career. I'm just glad that last year some of it rubbed off on me."

She thanked her sponsors "in the cheap seats", her family, and her boyfriend and coach, Brendon Cameron, with whom she "planned the attack".

Ulmer said after accepting the award that she was "so proud" to call herself a New Zealander. "The highlight for the Olympics for me wasn't when I was handed a medal by a Greek guy I didn't know, it was the New Zealand team that came to watch me at the velodrome and right before I went to accept my medal the team members there gave me a haka.

"Being saluted in a Kiwi way like that when you're a squillion miles away from home ... is the most powerful feeling in the world."

Ulmer said seeing NZ athletes competing on the world stage gave her goosebumps. "It's just wicked."

"It's a pretty powerful thing to give New Zealand. I am getting corny now, but just to think that when New Zealand en masse is ... absolutely fizzing, everyone back home is getting together for something, that is a really positive, cool thing. If sports people can be doing that job for the rest of New Zealand then, hell, I'm pretty keen to be part of it."

Earlier in the evening, she was typically down to Earth as she said she didn't know who designed the black dress she was wearing because she had borrowed it from a friend.

The dress, the sparkling earrings and necklace combined to create a look far from the lycra of Athens.

But the smile as she received her sportswoman of the year title, then the supreme Halberg Award, was as full and familiar as the one she wore after her Olympic triumph.

Australian Katie Mactier, who was second to Ulmer at Athens and at the world champs earlier in the year in Melbourne, pulled out of an event in Victoria to secretly fly to Auckland to honour her close friend.

 

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," she told the Herald.

"She is a great chick, she is a lot of fun, she keeps a cool head. She is admired very, very fondly by all the women on the circuit."

Last night's appearance by Mactier, who had just been seen on video expressing regret for her inability to be present, stunned Ulmer and delighted the audience.

The night was a who's who reunion of Athens success, dominated by the gold medallists.

Triathlete Hamish Carter won the sportsman award, and rowing twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell the sports team title.

Coach of the year was Dick Tonks, who coached the twins to victory.

Ulmer was widely expected to win the top award after her 3000m individual pursuit gold medal in Athens, and her world championship success in Melbourne.

Her amazing year began there in May when she won the 3000m individual pursuit in a world record time of 3m 30.604s.

Three months later at Athens, Ulmer, 28, compensated for missing out on a medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics by setting two world records on her way to her gold.

Carter, former world triathlon No 1, produced a fairytale finish in Athens to win gold, four years after a poor performance at the Sydney Olympics when he was favoured for a medal. Carter accepted the sportsman award from childhood hero John Walker, who announced the winner by saying he had always admired the recipient's tenacity, will and guts.

The compliment was returned. "When I was an 8-year-old I saw John Walker win his gold medal ... I had the dream of doing what John had done and here I am today. I couldn't quite run fast enough so I chucked a swim and a bike in there and I managed to do it."

Carter said the Olympians had taken the country with them when they went to Athens to compete.

"When I came back to New Zealand I had no idea the whole country had watched all of us race but it was amazing that everyone is a part of it and New Zealand was a part of me when I won my race, and I was enormously proud to represent New Zealand Kiwis and for us to dominate on the world stage."

The Evers-Swindell twins, Halberg Award winners in 2001, continued their dominance of the women's double scull with gold in Greece.

Collecting their prize, Georgina paid tribute to coach Tonks: "What can I say? The guy is a legend."

She also thanked their family for their support, as well as sponsors and New Zealand Rowing.

Tonks won the coach of the year award from Brendon Cameron, Don Tricker (Black Sox) and Chris Pilone, who coached athletes Carter, Nathan Richmond and Dale Warrender in Athens.

For the sportswoman of the year, Ulmer beat surf lifesaver Rachael Anderson, world champion downhill mountain biker Vanessa Quin and world individual aerobic champion Angela McMillan.

In the men's category, the finalists were Athens triathlon silver medallist Bevan Docherty, kayaker Ben Fouhy who won silver in the K1000, and cyclist Greg Henderson. * Inducted into the NZ Sports Hall of Fame last night were Danyon Loader, 1996 Olympic champion in the 200m and 400m freestyle, and the nine-strong NZ men's cross-country team who won the 1975 world championships - John Walker, Euan Robertson, Dave Sirl, John Dixon, John Sheddan, Bryan Rose, Jack Foster, Kevin Ryan and Dick Quax.

- additional reporting: NZPA

Others winners:

Sport and Recreation New Zealand leadership award in recognition for coaching and sports administration: All Black great Sir Brian Lochore.

New Zealand Herald Lifetime Achievement award: tennis and badminton stalwarts Jeff and Heather Robson.