Minister for Sport Kate Ellis has tonight announced triathlete Emma Moffatt and swimmer Brenton Rickard as the 2009 AIS Athletes of the Year.
Ms Ellis made the announcement at a ceremony at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra this evening.
It’s the sixth time in the award’s 26-year history that the AIS’s top honour has been jointly awarded.
Ms Ellis said the performances of Moffatt and Rickard are inspiring for other sportspeople and the wider Australian community.
“Both athletes are world class champions who hold themselves with great dignity and honour. They are doing the Australian Institute of Sport and Australia proud – on and off the sporting stage,” Ms Ellis said.
Brenton Rickard
“Their achievements in the international arena this year are remarkable and rank among some of the truly great moments in Australian sport.
Emma Moffatt was crowned UTI World Champion after winning five gold medals in this year’s Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series.
The 25 year-old from the Gold Coast won a bronze medal at last year’s Beijing Olympics and is now ranked number one in the world following her stellar year.
Twenty-six year old Brenton Rickard broke the world record to win gold in the 100-metre breaststroke at the 2009 FINA World Swimming Championships.
The Gold Coast resident’s outstanding performance was named Swimming Australia’s Speedo Golden Moment of the Year.
Other major AIS awards presented at the AIS Arena included:
AIS Coach of the Year: Triathlete Craig Walton
AIS Team of the Year: Sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen
AIS Program of the Year: AIS track endurance/road cycling.
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