Sport Star contenders testament to Queensland sporting elites success in 2021
Published Tue 23 Nov 2021
Twelve outstanding elite sports performers have been named as in contention for the State's top across sports individual honour for 2021.
The Courier-Mail Channel Seven Queensland Sport Star of the Year contenders include no less than nine who won gold in Tokyo this year at the Olympic and Paralympic Games joining world women's tennis No.1 Ash Barty who Wimbledon, Australian Test cricket star batsman Marnus Labuschagne and 18 year old motocross rider Jett Lawrence who became the first Australian to win an American Pro Motocross 250cc Championship in September in only his second season as a pro rider in the home of motocross in the USA.
Of the Olympic and Paralympic contingent from Queensland, women's freestyle swimming star Emma McKeon won seven medals all up - four gold - to be the most decorated athlete in Tokyo and equal for the most medals by a female athlete at a single Games.
Four other won double gold while Ash Barty won four other WTA events during the year to retain her No.1 ranking for all of four weeks since 2019.
The Sport Star contenders, unlike other Award category finalist listings, includes multiple athletes from the one sport, recognising the quality overall of our top Queensland athletes, particularly in an Olympics and Paralympics year.
The 12 are Ash Barty, Tokyo Olympic gold medallist sailor Mat Belcher, Test cricketer Marnus Labuschagne, Jett Lawrence, Tokyo Paralympic dual gold medallist canoe / kayaker Curtis McGrath, Emma McKeon, Tokyo Olympic dual gold medal winning backstroker Kaylee McKeown, inaugural BMX gold medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics Logan Martin, Tokyo Paralympics multiple gold medallist swimmer William Martin, inaugural skate gold medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics Keegan Palmer, gold medal winning breaststroker in Tokyo Zac Stubblety-Cook and dual gold medal winner in freestyle swimmer Ariarne Titmus who downed US swimming legend Katie Ledecky in Tokyo.
The release of the names of the 12 Sport Star contenders brings the overall tally of contenders across the overall Sport Awards program to 58 from 25 sports.
In addition, six new inductees into the Hall of Fame and the elevation of exiting Athlete member in rugby league great Allan "Alfie" Langer means 65 of Queensland's best past present sporting achievers are to be acknowledged this Thursday, 25 November at Queensland sport's night of the year at the Brisbance Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event returning after cancellation last year due to COVID-19 impacts on sporting competitions here, interstate and internationally.
