Action from the 50th Halberg Awards
 |
| Photo [Supplied] |
Olympic men's pair rowing champions Hamish Bond and Eric Murray have taken the top prize at the 50th Halberg Awards in Auckland.
The duo, unbeaten in four years, won Olympic gold by boat lengths in London. They were first named the team of the year at the Halberg Awards before going on to claim overall honours.
To win the supreme award, Bond and Murray headed off other Halberg Award contenders - single sculler and sportsman of the year Mahe Drysdale, sportswoman of the year Valerie Adams and disabled sportsperson of the year Sophie Pascoe.
Golfing legend Sir Bob Charles, the first athlete to win the trophy in 1963 after Sir Murray Halberg resurrected the awards, presented Bond and Murray with the award on Thursday night.
It was a big night for rowing, with coach Dick Tonks also claiming the coach of the year trophy ahead of fellow rowing coach Calvin Ferguson, yachting's Nathan Handley and canoeing's Gordon Walker.
Valerie Adams, who went through the year unbeaten in all shot put competitions and defended her gold medal at the London Olympics, won the sportswoman of the year for the seventh time.
She beat home Olympic K1 200m canoeing champion Lisa Carrington, Canadian Women's Golf Open champion Lydia Ko and BMX Olympic silver medallist Sarah Walker.
Drysdale, who won Olympic gold in the men's single sculls in London, edged out All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, world No.1 ranked equestrian Andrew Nicolson and Olympic keirin bronze medallist Simon van Velthooven.
Para-swimming sensation and last year's winner Sophie Pascoe again took out the disable sportsperson of the year category, after securing three golds and three silvers at the London Paralympics.
She beat home fellow Paralympic swimming champions Cameron Leslie and Mary Fisher, and para cyclist Phillipa Gray who, with pilot Laura Thompson, won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Paralympics.
Golfing prodigy Lydia Ko claimed the emerging talent award, with a $10,000 sporting scholarship part of the prize.
Also at the award ceremony, Olympic gold medal-winning boardsailor Bruce Kendall and former New Zealand rugby and cricket representative Jeff Wilson were inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.