Canoeists Jessica and Noemie Fox sail home with the Sports Hall of Fame’s Don Award. Opals and WNBL powerhouse Lauren Jackson slam-dunked The Dawn Award.
The two most prestigious awards in Australian sports went to gold medal-winning athletes who recently returned from the Paris Olympic Games. It is the second year in a row that women have taken home top honours at the Sports Australia Hall of Fame awards.
Forbes Australia 30 under 30 alumni Jess Fox and sister Noemie took home the Don award, named in honour of Sir Donald Bradman, following their dominant display at Paris.
“It’s still really hard to find the right words to think of my name next to all those previous award winners that are not only icons of Australian history but also just sporting heroes for us growing up – especially Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman around that Sydney 2000 Olympics,” Noemie Fox said.
Bruce McAvaney OAM, who heads up the awards selection committee, said the decision was particularly challenging this year, given the extraordinary performances showcased on the world stage.
“it’s always difficult to isolate the most inspiring sporting performance in any year but even more so in an Olympic and Paralympic year – and especially when you’ve come off the best performance yet by an Australian team,” McAvaney said.
“But whichever way we looked at it, the Fox sisters – and indeed the entire family – were the most remarkable. Jess, already a legend, confirmed her greatness in Paris and for Noemie to compete against her and then join her as a gold medallist at the same games is what Hollywood scriptwriters dream about.’’
Basketballer Lauren Jackson took home the Dawn Award, named after the Hall of Fame’s first female inductee, Dawn Fraser. The trophy is presented to an athlete or organisation that shows courage, bravery, and has changed sport for the better.
Recently-retired Jackson returned to the court to represent Australia at the Paris Olympic games earlier this year.
“The last three years have been wild and epic and I never thought that I’d get back into a situation where I was competing at that level again. And I think when you’ve got great team-mates you feel supported, you feel like you’re part of something special. And I felt like I was part of something really special (in Paris),” says Jackson.
The five-time Olympian joins Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE, the late Peter Norman, and the Sydney 2000 Olympics Women’s Water Polo champions who won the Dawn Award previously.
“It’s incredible,” says Jackson. “Dawn is someone that I’ve looked up to for many years. She’s become a friend of mine, and I’m really honoured and humbled in the same breath. It’s really special. And I’m super proud.’’
Six other athletes were also inducted into the Hall of Fame. World surfing champion Mick Fanning AO; former Kookaburras’ captain Mark Knowles OAM; lawn bowls trailblazer Karen Murphy AM; Olympic hurdles gold medallist Sally Pearson OAM; motor sports superstar Mark Skaife OAM; and dual-sport Paralympics champion Liesl Tesch AM are now among the ranks of Australia’s highly commended sports stars.
They join Sir Donald Bradman AC, Dawn Fraser AC MBE, Cathy Freeman OAM, Ian Thorpe AM, E.J. “Ted” Whitten OAM, Raelene Boyle AM MBE, Wally Lewis AM, Shane Gould OAM MBE, Sir Jack Brabham AO OBE, Greg Norman AO, John Eales AM, Susie O’Neill AM, Rod Laver AC MBE, Bart Cummings AM, Louise Sauvage OAM, Layne Beachley AO and Tim Cahill AO.
“After a four-year hiatus, it was incredible to see close to 1,000 guests fill the Crown Palladium for an unforgettable night of sporting star power,” says Adrianne Sarkozy, CEO of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
“We exist to celebrate and preserve the rich history of Australian sport, highlighting the achievements and stories that inspire us all. Sport is in our DNA—it unites us, defines us, and fuels our national identity.”
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