Leader Sports Star 2017 winners announced at gala ceremony

THEY’VE enjoyed success all over the world but some of our biggest sports heroes started their journey winning a Leader Sports Star award. Check out this year’s recipients.

Gymnast Elise Kargiotis, 16, has been named the Stonnington Leader Junior Sports Star for 2017. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

WHAT do NBA player Dante Exum, Olympic gold medallist Lydia Lassila and Australian cricket captain Meg Lanning have in common?

Along with excelling in their chosen sports, they were each once named a Leader Sports Star.

Head of Leader — Editorial Andrew Rennie said Leader News had a long and proud history of supporting young and not-so-young sports stars.

“Grassroots sport is the lifeblood of a community and we’re proud for the past 41 years to have recognised the sportspeople, teams and volunteers who bring it to life,” Mr Rennie said.

Olympic gold medallist aerial skier Lydia Lassila won a Leader Sports Star award in 2013. Picture: Jason Edwards

Over the years the Leader Sports Star honour roll has included some of the nation’s biggest sporting names including Pat Cash, Lauren Burns, Shane Warne, Brooke Hanson and Matt Welsh.

This year’s Sports Star awards, held at Etihad Stadium’s Medallion Club, saw a new crop of future stars from throughout Melbourne join the impressive list.

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Stephen Quartermain hosted the event, with appearances from special guests tennis champion Todd Woodbridge along with Lassila, who won a Sports Star award in 2013, and Olympic bronze medallist diver Anabelle Smith who was named a Sports Star last year.

The Leader Sports Star program is sponsored by Sportsmart, SportsTG and Gold 104.3.

Jim Dowsley founded the Leader Sports Star program and he is honoured in the Jim Dowsley Award, which acknowledges athletes who have dealt with an injury, handicap or situation that pits them against the odds.

OVERALL STATE WINNERS

Junior Sports Star Team: Diamond Valley Eagles. This basketball team won the Eltham/Dandenong Junior Tournament 2017 girls u14 event.

Service to Sport: Ron Stobaus has been involved in athletics since he was a teenager and was one of the founding members of the St Bernard’s Athletic Club, which later became the Keilor St Bernard’s Athletic Club, and has filled just about every role on the committee at some stage during the past 50 years.

Keilor St Bernard’s Athletic Club head coach Ron Stobaus is a Service to Sport award winner. He is pictured with club president Ian Upton. Picture: Adam Elwood

Jim Dowsley Award: Ben Peacock, who teaches cricket and tenpin bowling to people who are blind and vision impaired. Partially blind, the Cranbourne resident is passionate about quality of life for people who are blind and vision impaired and has been nominated for a coach of the year award at the Disability Sports Awards.

Young Sporting Spirit Team: Beverley Hills Junior Footy. This group of boys has overcome a tragedy this season. The previous season’s coach Jason Watts’ wife, Julia, died in March and 10 weeks later Jason passed away leaving behind their two boys, Connor and Dylan. Despite this loss the boys’ families and coaches have held their heads up and shown great support for the families involved.

Senior Sports Star Individual: Kiran Arunsalam, a member of the Australian National men’s hockey team. Moved to Perth so he could pursue his dream of playing hockey for his country.

Rio 2016 Paralympics silver and bronze medallist Isis Holt has also had a stellar 2017, breaking a world record in London.

Junior Sports Star Individual: Isis Holt. Despite only being 16, sprinter Isis Holt is a four-time world champion. After claiming gold medals in the 100m sprint and 200m sprint in the 2015 World Para Athletics Championships, she won them again at the 2017 championships in London, including the 100m in a world record time.

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Kobi George is a proud Wurundjeri boy, who loves playing football and feels honoured to represent his state, country and people. The Year 9 student represented Victoria in the indigenous side in the he AFL U/15 National Diversity Championships in Blacktown Sydney.

LEADER MASTHEAD WINNERS

BAYSIDE

Junior Sports Star: Romi Brown — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Allie Klein — diving

Senior Sports Star: Christie Jenkins — beach volleyball

CAULFIELD/PORT PHILLIP

Junior Sports Star: Alexandra Kiroi — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Sarah Hartwig — football

Ben Peacock, from Cranbourne North, teaches cricket and tenpin bowling to vision-impaired people. He is the recipient of this year’s Jim Dowsley Award. Picture: Chris Eastman.

CRANBOURNE

Junior Sports Star: Tahlia Folino — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Isabeau Hart — softball

DIAMOND VALLEY

Junior Sports Star: Molly Batchelor — swimming

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Abbey Turnbull — equestrian

Senior Sports Star: Mark Bilyj — basketball

FRANKSTON

Junior Sports Star: Carrie Van Rensburg — beach volleyball

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Gerard Felipe — karate

GREATER DANDENONG

Junior Sports Star: Nilesh Vaheesan — athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Kobi George — football

HEIDELBERG

J unior Sports Star: Silas Harris — swimming

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Elly McInerny — volleyball

Anthony Jordan, 11, from Mitcham, was born with a shortened left forearm and no fingers or thumb on his hand — but that hasn’t stopped his sporting ambition in athletics, cricket and football. He has won the Whitehorse Leader Young Sporting Spirit award. Picture: Steve Tanner

HUME

Junior Sports Star: Amor Jaskia — tennis

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Melaia Ratu — touch rugby

Senior Sports Star: Anna Kasapis — athletics

KNOX

Junior Sports Star: Kelland O’Brien — cycling

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Teisha Shadwell — basketball

LILYDALE & YARRA VALLEY

Ju nior Sports Star: Isabella Di Giorgio — 8 ball pool

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Brodie Ornsby — basketball

Senior Sports Star: Casey Wright — cross country skiing

MANNINGHAM

Junior Sports Star: Yingcui Chan — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Nash Chandler — athletics

Senior Sports Star: Kiran Arunsulum — hockey

M ARIBYRNONG

Junior Sports Star: Victoria Alcantara — ice skating

Senior Sports Star: Aliesha Newman — AFLW

Ice skater Victoria Alcantara is the youngest ever Victorian and Australian champion in her division, and is the Maribyrnong Leader Junior Sports Star. Picture: George Salpigtidis

MAROONDAH

Junior Sports Star: Zachary Nunis — athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Oscar Payne — athletics

Senior Sports Star: Kym Petersen — cycling

MONASH

Junior Sports Star: Nicholas Lum — table tennis

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Alexander Kirchner — swimming

Senior Sports Star: Adele Morrison — ice skating

MOONEE VALLEY

Junior Sports Star: Kate Abfalter — athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Rebecca Rusinovic — swimming

Senior Sports Star: Conor Fry — athletics

Kobi George played in the AFL u15 National Diversity Championships in Blacktown, Sydney and is the winner of the overall Young Sporting Spirit Individual award. Picture: Steve Tanner

MOORABBIN

Junior Sports Star: Benjamin Ayzelman — judo

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Tristan Price — triathlon

Senior Sports Star: Jackie Di Servi — softball

MORDIALLOC

Junior Sports Star: Stefan Nel — athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Jack O’Neil — trampoline

MORELAND

Ju nior Sports Star: Isis Holt — athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Ruby Roseman-Gannon — cycling

Senior Sports Star: Marion Stonehouse — hockey

Move over Harry Potter! Quidditch whiz Neil Kemister and all-important Seeker was instrumental in Australia’s victory at the Quidditch World Cup last year. He is the Whitehorse Leader Senior Sports Star for 2017.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Junior Sports Star: Alex Steer — karate

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Alannah Quint — football

S enior Sports Star: Jayde Mitchell — boxing

NORTHCOTE

Junior Sports Star: Tom Salomon — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Nia Stomatopoulos — soccer

Senior Sports Star: Sam Cartledge — basketball

PRESTON

Junior Sports Star: Lauren Pengelly — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Natasha Atkinson-Brown — netball

Senior Sports Star: Stella Radford — athletics

PROGRESS

J unior Sports Star: Jessica MacKenzie — gymnastics and athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Owen Rice — field athletics

Senior Sports Star: Amy Jennings — cricket

STONNINGTON

Junior Sports Star: Elise Kargiotis — gymnastics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Aimee Faul — archery

Senior Sports Star: Liesl Woods — soccer

SUNBURY

Junior Sports Star: Jessie Andrew — athletics

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Brock Gillies — football

Senior Sports Star: Carla Krizanic — bowling

Archer Aimee Faul is the Stonnington Leader Young Sporting Spirit award winner. Picture: Mark Dadswell

WHITEHORSE

Junior Sports Star: Benjamin Wilson — diving

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Anthony Jordan — field athletics and cricket

Senior Sports Star: Neil Kemister — quidditch

WHITTLESEA

Junior Sports Star: Stephanie Dimovska — karate

Young Sporting Spirit Individual: Matthew Mangoba — basketball

Senior Sports Star: Mikayla Dunn — bobsleigh