Ash Barty named ABC Sports Personality of the Year

What a year for Ash Barty. After the French Open singles title and claiming the world No.1 ranking, on Tuesday night the 23-year-old was named ABC Sport Personality of the Year.

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Ash Barty has completed her own grand slam of awards, adding three major Australian Institute of Sport gongs to the Newcombe Medal she won last week.

After a year in which she became the first Australian since Margaret Court (1973) to win the French Open singles title as well as claiming the world No.1 ranking, the 23-year-old has been cleaning up all the prizes on offer, winning the ABC Sport Personality of the Year, the Female Athlete of the Year and the Sporting Moment of the Year at Tuesday night’s black-tie ceremony in Sydney.

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What a year is has been for Ash Barty. Photo: Rob Williams / The Queensland Times

“We are a sporting nation, we love it and it is in our blood so to receive the votes and the support from the public is amazing,” said Barty via video link.

“It (French Open) was a highlight moment of the year, I really didn’t think I would get into that position, particularly at Roland Garros, I never thought that was my slam.

“That day in Paris for me was a perfect tennis match. I felt calm, I felt relaxed and I had no idea that I would feel like that or that I should feel like that but it was an incredible moment and the perfect tennis match that I could have played on that day.”

Snowboarder Scotty James was named Male Athlete of the year after winning the world halfpipe title for the third time in a row as well as the X Games SuperPipe crown.

Canoeist Curtis McMale was named Male Para-athlete of the Year after successfully

defending his KL2 200m and VL3 200m world titles in Hungary while skier Melissa Perrine was chosen as the Female Para-athlete of the Year after winning a staggering 12

medals on the Para Alpine World Cup Circuit in her visually impaired category.

Scotty James was recognised for his achievements. Photo: Dylan Robinson

WINNERS

The ABC Sport Personality of the Year (People’s Choice) – Ash Barty (Tennis)

Sporting Moment of the Year (People’s Choice) – Ash Barty (Tennis)

Male Athlete of the Year – Scotty James (Snowboard)

Female Athlete of the Year – Ash Barty (Tennis)

Male Para-athlete of the Year – Curtis McGrath (Para-canoe)

Female Para-athlete of the Year – Melissa Perrine (Para-skiing)

Emerging Athlete of the Year – Amy Lawton (Hockey)

Athlete Community Engagement Award – Jenna O’Hea (Basketball)

Coach of the Year Award – Michael Blackburn (Sailing)

Award for Leadership – Lynne Anderson (Paralympics Australia)

Sport Australia Award – Hockeyroos

Team of the Year – Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (Sailing)

High Performance Program of the Year – Rowing Australia