Toyko Games Gold Medallists secure headline awards at NSW Champions of Sport ceremony

Tokyo Olympic Games golden girls, Jessica Fox and Cate Campbell, have been crowned joint 2021 Athletes of the Year winners and Tokyo Paralympic Games swimming gold medallist, Matthew Levy, named 2021 Athlete of the Year with a Disability at the NSW Champions of Sport Ceremony gala dinner at Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium last night.

 For the first time since the Awards were first presented in 1994, the judging panel was unable to separate the brilliant performances displayed by Fox and Campbell which were headlined by their Olympic gold medals.

Fox, who captured her elusive Olympic gold medal in the women's C-1 slalom canoeing final in Tokyo after earlier winning bronze in the women's K-1 slalom canoeing event, becomes the first four-time winner of NSW’s sport most prestigious Award.

Leading into the Tokyo Games, Fox - who was Athlete of the Year in 2013, 2017 and 2018 - won two gold medals and a bronze at two World Cup events in Europe.

 Fox returned to Europe after the Olympics to capture the World Cup title yet again before winning the Extreme Slalom Gold at the 2021 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.

 Attending her fourth Olympic Games in Tokyo, Campbell claimed gold medals in the women's 4 x 100 medley relay and the women's 4 x 100 freestyle relay where the team broke their own world record and set a new benchmark of 3min 29.69sec.

Campbell, who carried the Australian flag in the Opening Ceremony alongside basketball player Patrick Mills, also captured the bronze medal in the women's 50m freestyle in Tokyo.

As a team member in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team (34 points classification), Levy pocketed his third Paralympic Games gold medal in five Paralympic Games and added another bronze medal to his collection when third in the men’s 100m breaststroke (S6 classification). Levy was also a finalist in the men's 50m Freestyle (SB6 classification),

It is also the second time Levy has been named Athlete of the Year with a Disability having been previously honoured in 2014.

Campbell’s coach, Simon Cusack, was named Coach of the Year - an honour he also earned in 2018.

There was further success for swimming with Timothy Hodge named Young Athlete of the Year with a Disability after he captured two silver medals (200m individual medley, SM9 classification, and 4x100m medley relay, 34 points classification) and a bronze medal (100m backstroke, S9 classification) at Tokyo Paralympic Games Olympic.

Tokyo Olympic diver Sam Fricker was announced Young Athlete of the Year and Tokyo Rugby Sevens referee, Amy Perrett, was voted as Official of the Year.

Netball enjoyed double success with the Super Netball championship-winning NSW Swifts crowned Team of the Year while Netball NSW’s Reconciliation Week was named Event of the Year.

Archer, Elizabeth Hole, was acknowledged as Masters Athlete of the Year for a second time, Wheelchair Sports CEO Mick Garnett was named Administrator of the Year, Basketball NSW was awarded Organisation of the Year, and the NSW Gladiators Wheelchair Rugby team claimed the Team of the Year with a Disability title.

The Awards Ceremony will also saw Mark Webber (motor racing), Mick Fanning (surfing), Naomi Flood (surf lifesaving and kayaking), Kerri Pottharst (beach volleyball), and Harry Williams (football) inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions, while Mark Ella (rugby union) was elevated to 'Legend' status.

The full list of Award winners are:

• Athlete of the Year - Jessica Fox (paddle) and Cate Campbell (swimming)

• Athlete of the Year with a Disability - Matthew Levy (swimming)

• Young Athlete of the Year - Sam Fricker (diving)

• Young Athlete of the Year with a Disability - Timothy Hodge (swimming)

• Masters Athlete of the Year - Elizabeth Hole (archery)

• Team of the Year - NSW Swifts (netball)

• Team of the Year with a Disability - NSW Gladiators (wheelchair rugby)

• Administrator of the Year - Mick Garnett (wheelchair rugby)

• Coach of the Year - Simon Cusack (swimming)

• Event of the Year - Netball NSW Reconciliation Week (netball)

• Official of the Year - Amy Perrett (rugby union)

• Organisation of the Year - Basketball NSW

Image credit: Sport NSW.