Congratulations to rower Sarah Hawe and lawn bowler Rebecca Van Asch who have been named joint winners of the 2017 Tasmanian Athlete of the Year Award.
Sarah was part of the Australian women’s coxless four crew which won the World Rowing Championship, two other World Rowing Cup events and was undefeated in 2017.
Rebecca won the 2017 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in the women’s fours and triples events and is now a three-time World Champion.
The Tasmanian Athlete of the Year and the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame have for the first time been combined to celebrate our sporting excellence.
The two new inductees into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame are household names and legends in their respective sports - five-time Olympic rower Anthony Edwards and former Australian Test cricket captain Ricky Ponting.
Both athletes competed with distinction at State and International level for more than two decades. Anthony won two silver and one bronze medal in a 20-year international rowing career and Ricky holds the runs record for Australia in both Test matches and ODI games and has the most Test centuries at 41.
In retirement both men are giving back to our community, helping young people with cancer. Anthony is a project manager for the Cancer Council of Tasmania and the Relay for Life, and Ricky through his Foundation which has raised in excess of $10 million to support young Australians with cancer and their families.