Judges consider a record 80-plus applications from talented young athletes for Herald Future Stars awards
Joseph Parker will be hoping history might repeat itself. The quietly-spoken 18-year-old boxer won the hearts of many New Zealanders with his brave but, in the end, unlucky showing at last year's New Delhi Commonwealth Games losing his medal chance on a judging whim.
But today he is a deserved
winner as one of six young sportsmen and women acknowledged by the Herald as Future Stars.
The awards, first made in 1967, have recognised many of New Zealand's best sporting stars often before going on to higher honours including overall Halberg Award winners.
Joining Parker, after a record 80-plus applications were considered by the judges, as winners are young golfer Cecilia Cho, rising shot put star Jacko Gill, swimmer Gareth Kean and hockey player Hugo Inglis, teammates of Parker in New Delhi, and rowing medallist Julia Edward.
In the 45 years of the awards - in which there have been more than 225 winners - Parker is only the second boxer to make the list.
Jimmy Peau, who later fought professionally as Jimmy Thunder, is the other boxer to be recognised. He won his award in 1984 and two years later was victorious at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games when he beat hometown hero Dougie Young to claim gold.
Parker was denied the chance to box for a medal in Delhi when he finished his quarter-final level on points 7-7 with Tariq Abdul Haq but was tipped out 3-2 by the judges. He now has next year's London Olympics firmly in his sights.
Cho follows a long line of golfers to be recognised by the Herald.
For Cho, 2010 was very much a year of "have clubs, will travel" - and win.
Korean-born but a New Zealand citizen since February last year, Cho turned heads on golf courses around the world from the time she won the Australian Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship in March until she won the Aaron Baddeley Invitation in China in November.
That earned her automatic entry to the European professional tournaments in Australasia this month including the current Australian Open.
Cho and Gill were the overall winners at November's ASB College Sport awards as Auckland's Young Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year.
Like Cho, Gill had an outstanding year.
As a 15-year-old, Gill became the youngest athlete to win gold at the World Junior Track and Field Championships. He claimed that honour previously held by sprint great Usain Bolt.
Gill followed that triumph in Canada, where he threw 20.76m, with outstanding efforts at the Diamond League meeting in Sweden where he reached 22.53m with the 5kg shot to set world best marks for 15- and 16-year-olds.
In December he went even further with a best of 23.86m to better his world record.
Over the years there have been only one and father and son winning duo in the Herald awards - 1976 Olympic hockey gold medallist Jeff Archibald and his son Ryan, who is now one of New Zealand's most experienced sporting internationals.
Now, in another first, a former winner has coached another award-winner.
Gary Hurring, son of 1952 Olympians Lincoln Hurring and bronze medallist Jean Stewart, now coaches, among others, Kean.
Another who had a busy 2010 sporting year, Kean swam at big meets around the world culminating in the Commonwealth Games.
There, a day after his 19th birthday, he won silver in the 200m backstroke in a New Zealand record 1m 57.37s - exactly 7secs faster than Gary Hurring swam in winning gold at the Edmonton Commonwealth Games 32 years earlier.
Edward, 19, follows a list of top rowers to win a Herald award including Rob Waddell and, more recently, Emma Twigg.
While she was a member of winning crews at Under-21 Youth Cup and Under-20 Youth Olympics, Edward's outstanding achievement last year was teaming with Lucy Strack to win silver in the lightweight double at the Under-23 world championships in Belarus.
The combination won through to the final of the same event at the world championships at Lake Karapiro in November.
Inglis was well-acquainted with the artificial turf in New Delhi last year.
He first played in the Indian city at last year's World Cup and returned later again as a member of the Black Sticks team who won Commonwealth Games bronze.
He was also in the team who played at the prestigious Champions Trophy in Germany and already, after turning 20 last month, has played more than 40 times for his country.
The winners, their parents and coaches, will be guests of the Herald at a function next month where they will be presented with $1500 training grants.
At that function Inglis will meet another former hockey winner David Appleby who, after more than 30 years as a judge of the awards, has decided to step down.
The other judges are Alison Fitch, Mike Stanley, Herald sports editor Chris Allen and Terry Maddaford.
The awards
First made in 1967, they have recognised many of New Zealand's best sporting stars who often went on to higher honours including overall Halberg Award winners.
