Sport Star of the Year Award caps Rohan Dennis’ dream season on the bike
ROHAN Dennis had only just won the Tour Down Under in January when he declared his major goal for 2015 was to start and finish the Tour de France.
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ROHAN Dennis had only just won the Tour Down Under in January when he declared his major goal for 2015 was to start and finish the Tour de France.
But he never thought that come July he would be leading it.
By winning the opening stage 13.8km prologue in Utrecht in The Netherlands, Dennis beat the world’s best time trialers and became only the seventh Australian ever to wear the yellow jersey.
It was the highlight of an amazing season for the Adelaide 25-year-old who last night won The Advertiser/Channel 7 Sport Star of the Year Award for a second time after first being crowned two years ago.
“I didn’t expect it to happen, it was a goal but I’d had so many seconds and thirds in a time trial that I was more hopeful than expectant,” Dennis said of his Tour de France triumph.
“I couldn’t breathe at the end, I was absolutely ruined and nearly crashed with 700m to go when I put my head down.
“That got the heart pumping and then when I was sitting there (in the hot seat) and saw another rider come through in contention, I was shaking, it was overwhelming.”
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The emerging star who rides for BMC Racing Team then had to fight his way through the next 20 stages to make it to the finish in Paris.
“I remember riding towards the Eiffel Tower, that’s when it hit me the most,” Dennis said.
“It was satisfying because I was worried the whole time that I’d crash out, I was waiting for something to happen.
“I was on my hands and knees but whenever I was off the back (of the peloton) I didn’t take risks and it was pretty satisfying to get to the end and say ‘I’ve finished’.”
As well as his TDU and Tour de France success, Dennis also broke the world hour record on the velodrome, led the Criterium du Dauphine, won the USA Pro Challenge and the team time trial with BMC at the world championships.
All that was enough to win him South Australian sport’s highest individual honour ahead of the likes of Socceroos striker James Troisi, golfer Antonio Murdaca, racewalker Jared Tallent and rising tennis star Thanasi Kokkinais.
Dennis said he’d been so caught up chasing one goal after another during the season that he hadn’t had a lot of time to reflect on his achievements.
But having endured a frustrating run of second-placings in recent years and fighting his way through a difficult period mid-year, he said he was pleased.
“I see the bad times as well as the good times,” the swimmer-turned-cyclist said.
“After the hour record it wasn’t until the Dauphine (in June) that I started to feel strong, I just felt a little bit lost.
“I was expecting a result at Tour of Romandie in the overall and I just didn’t have it when I was there and couldn’t take any positives from that race.
“But towards the end of the season one thing that really hit home was when Allan Peiper sat down and made me list all the things I’d achieved during the year.
“Then he said ‘look, not many people do what you’ve done this year in their whole career’.”
Dennis will make a guest appearance at Cycling SA’s elite teams series at Victoria Park tonight as he builds towards the national championships in Ballarat in January.
He plans on defending his TDU title from January 16-24 but doesn’t expect to be in top condition given he’s aiming for a long, slow build to peak for the individual time trial at the Rio Olympics in August.
He rode the 2012 London Olympics on the track where he won a silver medal with Australia’s team pursuit.
MOST POPULAR: RENAE INGLES
Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Renae Ingles may have changed her name but her competitive instincts and tremendous work ethic remain intact.
It was that drive to retrieve the best out of herself which enabled the champion wing defence to thrive on the game’s biggest stage as a member of the Australian Diamonds at the World Cup in Sydney in August.
Ingles, who belonged to the leadership group, was brilliant throughout the tournament and had a key role in the Diamonds claiming the title when they conquered New Zealand in the final.
It was her final appearance as Renae Hallinan. Just 13 days after raising the trophy in triumph, Renae married NBA basketballer Joe Ingles.
Rarely without a smile, Renae has long been a fan favourite and this was recognised when she earned the South Australian Sport Star Most Popular Award.
She beat Rohan Dennis (cycling), Thanasi Kokkinakis (tennis), Lleyton Hewitt (tennis), Jared Tallent (walking), Olympia Aldersey (rowing), Antonio Murdaca (golf), James Troisi (soccer), Anna Meares (cycling) and Annette Edmondson (cycling).
Renae’s World Cup success followed a gold medal at last year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games, a personal victory after being forced to fight to regain her spot in the national team.
Such is reputation, Renae was promoted to vice captain for the Constellation Cup series against the Silver Ferns which followed the World Cup. — Warren Partland
TEAM OF THE YEAR: ADELAIDE UNITED
Adelaide United’s current A-League season might not exactly be going according to plan but the Reds were the toast of Australian football last year.
Coached by Josep Gombau, the Reds won the inaugural FFA Cup by beating Perth Glory 1-0 in the final at Coopers Stadium in December.
Sergio Cirio scored the only goal of the game which helped United secure the trophy in front of 16,000 fans as Cirio finished as the leading goalscorer of the tournament with six.
On their way to the final, the Reds also conquered Wellington, Brisbane, Sydney FC and Central Coast.
The inaugural FFA Cup was held in 2014 and involved more than 600 clubs from across the country who took part in the knockout competition.
The win was the club’s first piece of silverware since 2006 when they claimed the premier’s plate and it put the club on the path to a successful A-League season in which they marched into the finals.
Adelaide beat Brisbane Roar 2-1 in the elimination final before losing to Sydney FC 4-1 in the second round.
It was also a successful season for Adelaide’s captain Eugene Galekovic who won the A-League’s goalkeeper of the year award. — Reece Homfray
JUNIOR SPORTS STAR: KYLE CHALMERS
While most of his mates are learning to drive, working part time or finishing high school, Kyle Chalmers is preparing for the Rio Olympics.
The 17-year-old shot into Olympic calculations after winning a silver medal at his first senior world championships in Russia in August.
Chalmers was part of Australia’s 4x100m medley relay team and although he didn’t swim the final, he played a crucial role in qualifying when he set the second fastest freestyle time (47.86secs) of all competitors. That followed his time of 47.92sec in 4x100m freestyle relay qualifying earlier in the week.
Chalmers became the youngest Australian male to make a world championship team since Ian Thorpe and showed no signs of nerves on the biggest stage of his career.
The son of former Port Adelaide footballer, Brett, he also starred at the junior world championships in Singapore when he swam a sub 49-second 100m freestyle to smash the national record held by Cameron McEvoy for the previous 17 years.
Chalmers won seven medals — three of which were gold — at the Singapore meet which capped an outstanding season which promises to be only the beginning. — Reece Homfray
ELITE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY: BRAYDEN DAVIDSON
Brayden Davidson became a world beater this year when he broke the world record in the T36 long jump at the Australian senior championships in March.
The 18-year-old who has mild cerebral palsy is also the Australian record holder in the 100m, 200m, 400m and long jump in the open class and in October represented Australia at the world championships in Doha where he won a bronze medal in long jump.
At the world titles he was ninth in the 100m, missing the final by just .06 of a second, and finished seventh in the 200m final.
Davidson made his way into athletics after attending an Australian Paralympic Committee talent search day at Santos Stadium in 2011 and by 2013 was awarded a scholarship with the South Australian Sports Institute. — Reece Homfray
TANYA DENVER AWARD: DANIELLE HILL
Lucky to be alive let alone back driving winners on the harness track, Dani Hill has been honoured for her incredible courage by winning the 2015 Tanya Denver Award.
A sickening race crash at Globe Derby in 2010 left her without the sight in her right eye and fractures to her cheek, jaw and nose as well as with bleeding to the brain.
It was only her love for training horses that saw her return to race driving and she has since become one of the state’s premier harness racing trainer-drivers.
Hill passed the 100-winner mark for the 2014-2015 season, placing her third on the state drivers’ premiership and second in the Adelaide premiership.
Earlier this month she finished runner-up behind Queensland’s Grant Dixon in this year’s Australian Driving Championship in Launceston.
Across her entire career she has driven 935 winners and trained 183 and capped her amazing season by winning the $60,000 Southern Cross final driving Hez The One at Port Pirie.
The Tanya Denver Award — named after the late The Advertiser sports writer — acknowledges endeavour and sportsmanship making Hill a fitting winner.
“I had nothing to prove coming back to race driving,’’ Hill said.
“But the self-satisfaction is pretty good. Obviously it’s not something you set out for, so to set a career-best is quite satisfying.
“I just love training, but financially I have to keep driving. I had a really good season as a driver. I do like driving other horses, but I love driving my own horses which I have put so much time into at home.
“Working horses everyday and performing with them on the racetrack — there is nothing more rewarding.’’ — Lincoln Moore
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as Sport Star of the Year Award caps Rohan Dennis’ dream season on the bike
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