Canoe queen Dame Lisa Carrington has been lauded as Halberg Awards Supreme Winner, after becoming New Zealand's most successful Olympian at Tokyo last year.
After winning her sixth Sportswoman of the Year title - as well as the Sportswoman Decade Award for the 2010s - Dame Lisa took out her second Supreme Award at a small, COVID-restricted ceremony at Auckland's Spark Arena.
Given the pandemic's dire affect on international sport during 2020, last year's event awarded decade winners and this function, limited to just 100 people, celebrated outstanding achievement over the past two years.
Either way you cut it, Carrington's three gold medals at Tokyo, which gave her five across her career, were difficult to overlook, despite the incredibly high level of success across a broad range of sports.
"It's incredibly humbling to receive this award, especially with so many amazing athletes, administrators, coaches here tonight and around New Zealand," she says.
"This award is really for all those who supported me and it's always really hard to thank those people."
Carrington's success - and that of the national canoe squad - also yielded Coach of the Year honours for longtime mentor Gordon Walker, his fourth win in this category.
Dame Lisa's stiffest competition came from the NZ men's cricketers, who took out Team of the Year for their World Test Championship triumph, with captain Kane Williamson earning Sportsman of the Year for the second time.
The other major winner considered for the Supreme Award was para-swimming star Dame Sophie Pascoe, who matched Carrington's achievement, when she became our most success Paralympian at Tokyo last year, taking her career haul to 19 medals, with two more gold, a silver and bronze.
But Carrington could not be denied.
Emerging Talent - Erika Fairweather (swimming)
Coach of the Year - Gordon Walker (canoeing)
Sportswoman of the Year - Dame Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
Team of the Year - Blackcaps (cricket)
Leadership Award - NZOC boss Kereyn Smith
Sportsman of the Year - Kane Williamson (cricket)
Para-Athlete of the Year - Dame Sophie Pascoe (swimming)
Favourite Sporting Moment - Emma Twigg wins Olympic gold (rowing)
Supreme Award - Dame Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
