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Libby Lenton Swimmer of the Year - 2007/11/06 12:27
LIBBY LENTON WINS COVETED TELSTRA SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
The year 2007 will be one to remember for Libby Lenton after she was named the Telstra Swimmer of the Year at a glittering awards ceremony in Sydney.
The 22-year-old, who won five gold medals at this year’s FINA World Championship in Melbourne, joins individual Olympic gold medallists Susie O’Neill (1995 and 1996) and Jodie Henry (2004) and last year’s winner Leisel Jones as the fourth woman to win the award.
Lenton beat Jones and Jessicah Schipper for the top honour at a glittering awards ceremony at Badgery Pavilion, in Sydney’s Olympic Park.
She joins a who’s who of Australian swimming’s biggest names who have won the award since Glen Housman in 1989 – a list that includes Kieren Perkins, Michael Klim, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.
The 2004 Athens Olympian, who won three individual gold in the 50 and 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly as well as two relay gold medals at the World Championships, received her award from Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo and Swimming Australia President Neil Martin.
Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Telstra Chief Executive Officer Sol Trujillo congratulated Libby on winning the award from the impressive line-up of Australia's elite swimmers and wished the Telstra Dolphins well ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
"Australia's swimming team goes from strength-to-strength, just like Telstra’s 16-year partnership with Swimming Australia, and our best wishes go to all the Telstra Dolphins ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," Mr Trujillo said.
“Telstra is finding more ways than ever before to bring fans closer to their swimming heroes.
“At the recent FINA World Championships, where Libby Lenton showed the world just how good she is, fans had unprecedented access to more than 250 hours of live and on demand coverage of all events on Telstra’s Next G™ and 3G mobile phones and BigPond Internet.”
Schipper, who won the 200m butterfly world title, was on centre stage not once - but twice – after receiving recognition from her team mates and also the Australian public.
The loveable butterflyer won the much sort after award as the Telstra Swimmers’ Swimmer of the Year - voted by her team mates and then she received the coveted Telstra People’s Choice Award.
Schipper polled the majority of the public vote over fellow nominees Libby Lenton, Brenton Rickard, Leisel Jones, Eamon Sullivan, Matthew Cowdrey, Kate-Brookes-Peterson and Craig Stevens.
Meanwhile 15-year-old Emily Seebohm, who was a member of the gold medal winning 4x100m medley relay team in Melbourne and finished fourth in the 100m backstroke final at her first world championships, was named the Australian Sports Commission Discovery of the Year.
Matthew Cowdrey, who will be the face of Australia’s Paralympians as they embark on the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, won the Telstra Swimmer with a Disability of the Year and his coach Peter Bishop was named the Telstra Swimmer with a Disability Coach of the Year.
Australian team captain Grant Hackett won the Speedo Australian Short Course Swimmer of the Year for his near-world record swim in the 800m freestyle at this year’s Telstra Australian Short Course Championships – edging out Lenton and Jones.
The Open Water Swimmer of the Year went to dual World Championship bronze medallist Kate Broookes-Peterson for her 5 and 10km performances at this year’s World Championships at St Kilda.
The Swimming Australia Golden Moment of the Year went to Bronte Barratt who lowered Tracey Wickham’s 28 year-old Commonwealth record for 400 metres freestyle at this year’s Japan International.
The Telstra Coach of the Year again went to defending winner Stephan Widmer, for his efforts with Lenton; the Open Water Coach of the Year went to Ken Wood for Kate Brookes-Peterson; while the Age Group Coach of the Year went to Denis Cotterell.
Swimming Australia also acknowledged the services to the Australian team of former butterfly world champion Geoff Huegill and World Championship relay swimmer Casey Flouch.
The Swimming Australia Media Award again went to The Australian’s Nicole Jeffery from Rebecca Williams (Herald Sun) and Anthony Goodridge (Network Ten).
2007 TELSTRA SWIMMER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Telstra Swimmer of the Year: Libby Lenton
Telstra Swimmers’ Swimmer of the Year; Jessicah Schipper
Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Kate Brookes-Peterson
Telstra People’s Choice Award: Jessicah Schipper
Speedo Short Course Swimmer of the Year: Grant Hackett
Telstra Swimmer with a Disability: Matthew Cowdrey
Australian Sports Commission Discovery of the Year: Emily Seebohm
Services to the Australian Team, presented by Speedo: Geoff Huegill, Casey Flouch
Telstra Coach of the Year: Stephan Widmer
Open Water Coach of the Year: Ken Wood
Age Group Coach of the Year: Denis Cotterell
Telstra Swimmer with a Disability Coach of the Year: Peter Bishop
Swimming Australia Media Award: Nicole Jeffery (The Australian)
Swimming Australia Golden Moment of the Year: Bronte Barratt
Australian Unity Club of the Year: Melbourne VIC Centre
Australian Unity Club Leadership Award: Lara Carroll
THE 2007 TELSTRA AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL ALL STAR SWIM TEAM:
Frances Adcock (200m backstroke)
Alexandra Bagley (open water)
Bronte Barratt (200 and 400 metre freestyle)
Leith Brodie (200 metre individual medley)
Kate Brookes-Peterson (open water)
Cate Campbell (50 metre freestyle)
Matthew Cowdrey (swimmer with A disability)
Ashley Delaney (50 and 100 metre backstroke)
Sophie Edington (50 metre backstroke)
Melissa Gorman (1500 metre freestyle)
Grant Hackett (400, 800m and 1500 metre freestyle)
Ephraim Hannant (200m backstroke)
Nerice Holland (swimmer with a disability)
Ky Hurst (open water)
Leisel Jones (50, 100, and 200 metre breaststroke)
Andrew Lauterstein (50 metre butterfly)
Peter Leek (swimmer with a disability)
Libby Lenton (100 metre freestyle/ 100 metre butterfly)
Danni Miatke (50 metre butterfly)
Kenrick Monk (200 metre freestyle)
Damien Narbeshuber (swimmer with a disability)
Travis Nederpelt (200 metre butterfly / 400 metre individual medley)
Kylie Palmer (800 metre freestyle)
Stephanie Rice (200 And 400 metre individual medley)
Brenton Rickard (50, 100 And 200 metre breaststroke)
Sarah Rose (swimmer with a disability)
Josh Santacaterina (open water)
Jessicah Schipper (200 metre butterfly)
Emily Seebohm (100 metre backstroke)
Eamon Sullivan (50 and 100 metre freestyle)
Matt Targett (100 metre butterfly)
Tamleh Wilson (swimmer with a disability)
PREVIOUS TELSTRA SWIMMER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
1990 Glen Housman QLD
1991 Hayley Lewis QLD
1992 Kieren Perkins QLD
1993 Kieren Perkins QLD
1994 Kieren Perkins QLD
1995 Susan O’Neill QLD
1996 Susan O’Neill QLD
1997 Michael Klim VIC
1998 Michael Klim VIC
1999 Ian Thorpe NSW
2000 Ian Thorpe NSW
2001 Ian Thorpe NSW
2002 Ian Thorpe NSW
2003 Ian Thorpe/Grant Hackett NSW/QLD
2004 Jodie Henry QLD
2005 Grant Hackett QLD
2006 Leisel Jones QLD
2007 Libby Lenton QLD
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