04 Feb 2009

Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) sailing pairs Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson, and Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page, are joint winners of the 2008 AIS Team of the Year award, presented in Canberra.

This is the third time in the last four years that sailing pair Wilmot and Page have received an AIS Team of the Year award.

‘I know I’ve said this before, but this is an amazing honour to receive this award, especially in the Olympic and Paralympic year, and, for a third time, this is quite incredible,’ Page said.

Page also went on to show his, and the entire sailing team’s, admiration for AIS Coach of the Year Victor Kovalenko.

‘When Victor arrived here on our shores 11 years ago he had his whip out and he has been applying it the whole time,’ Page said. ‘I know there’s no way we could have achieved what we’ve achieved without him, so thank you Victor.’

Both pairs of sailors won gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games: Perth’s Pocket Rockets, Rechichi and Parkinson, in the women’s 470 class, and Wilmot and Page, in the men’s 470 class.

The foursome’s achievement, and Australia’s overall dominance in the 470 class, was highlighted by AIS Director Professor Peter Fricker:

‘Winning an Olympic gold medal takes a lot of skill, time and dedication over many years. That is exactly what Elise, Tessa, Nathan and Malcolm showed in Beijing.

‘Their results in the men and women’s 470 class were among the highlights of Beijing and we are immensely proud of their efforts.’

‘They are champions of their sport and have proven themselves by beating the world’s best,’ said Professor Fricker.

Nominees for this year’s AIS Team of the Year award were Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby (Sailing), Briony Cole and Melissa Wu (Diving), the Australian Men’s Coxless Four (Rowing) and the Australian Men’s 4 x 100-metre medley relay team (Paralympic Swimming).

Sailing also featured in two of the other main honours at the 2008 AIS Awards, presented tonight at the AIS Arena:

• AIS Athlete of the Year: Heath Francis (Track and Field) and Ken Wallace (Flatwater Canoe)
• AIS Junior Athlete of the Year: Evan O’Hanlon (Track and Field)
• AIS Coach of the Year: Victor Kovalenko (Sailing)
• AIS Program of the Year: Australian/AIS Sailing.