Alex Powell - Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
At the start of the year, New Zealand had never won Winter Olympics gold.
Fast forward to the start of February and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott did just that, with an epic display at the Beijing Games.
In a dramatic performance in the women's slopestyle final, Sadowski-Synnott saved her best for last, with an almost perfect final run to beat American Julia Marino and take gold.
If that wasn't good enough, Sadowski-Synnott was immediately mobbed by her rivals, celebrating New Zealand's maiden triumph with their conqueror.
To cap it all off, Sadowski-Synnott added a silver medal in the Big Air just days later - completing the full set of Olympic medals, after her bronze from Pyeongchang in 2018.
Reece Labuschagne - Black Ferns captain Ruahei Demant
It's almost not fair to single out one Black Fern for the team's 2022 success, but if there is one, maybe it's their influential captain Ruahei Demant.
The first-five led by example, orchestrating a famous World Cup win and was named Player of the Match in a test full of standouts.
She was named Black Fern of the Year, as well as picking up the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year at the NZ Rugby awards.
Her performances also saw her named Women's 15s Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards at Monaco.
Special mention must also go to halfback Kendra Cocksedge, who showed all her experience to help lift the trophy, before retiring as New Zealand's most capped player and topscorer.
Narelle Sindos - Cyclist Ellesse Andrews
The track cyclist is 22 and has three gold medals to her name, oh yeah, from the same Commonwealth Games!
She is a beast on the bike and is pretty selfless, jumping in at the last minute, so her teammates could race the pursuit - she won silver and finally got her medal.
Bring on Paris 2024.
Stephen Foote - Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Wanaka snow queen Zoi Sadowski-Synnott's historic feat at the Beijing Winter Olympics simply cannot be overlooked.
With New Zealand yet to reach the top of a podium since the Winter Olympics began in 1924, the 20-year-old soared to victory in the women's slopestyle final to bring home the country's first-ever gold medal.
Saving her best for last, Sadowski-Synnott - snow running through her veins - ousted American Julia Marino in the very last run of the day, closing out her triumph with extra style points.
And just for good measure, she rounded out her campaign with a silver medal in the Big Air, adding to the bronze she won four years earlier to complete her full set of medals.
The charming young flier had New Zealand wrapped around her little finger and suddenly it wasn't so weird hearing middle-aged office workers across the nation talking about 'stomping 900s'.
Grant Chapman - Black Fern Ruby Tui
During the Ferns' triumphant march through their home World Cup, Ruby Tui became the emotional lightning rod for their newfound fanbase, never shirking from an interview and often snatching the microphone to deliver another choice soundbite.
Moments after New Zealand had upset redhot favourites England to defend their world crown, she comandeered the ground mic to lead a packed-out Eden Park in a rousing rendition of a Māori waiata.
As the whole country celebrated, Tui gifted her gold medal to 11-year-old leukemia survivor Lucia Hurst, whom she met at a fan event earlier in the week, then refused to accept it, when it was offered back the next day.
Her off-field charm had the nation in the palm of her hand, but she was also a star between the lines, converting from the Olympic sevens programme to learn the 15s format, and then showing her versatility between wing and fullback, enough to earn her World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, at the age of 31.
Special mention must go to golfer Lydia Ko, who completed her comeback from some mighty lean years to regain the LPGA Tour Championship and No.1 world ranking.
Alex Chapman - Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
To be honest, with all due respect to everyone else, it's not even close.
New Zealand finally ascending to the summit of the Winter Olympics with our first gold and, heck, it was a special one.
Sadowski-Synnott taking out the snowboard slopestyle at Beijing, landing what she called the best run of her life for that incredible 92.88 score, was extra special, because so many people were able to watch on a Waitangi Day public holiday.
That final landing when she raised her arms is a shot that’ll go down in New Zealand sporting folklore - it's Walkeresque.
That reaction and her mobbing by her competitors when her winning score comes up is still epic.
Throw in an Olympic silver in the Big Air a few days later and winning two X Games golds, and it's a heck of a year for the 21-year-old.
Not that it impacts my decision, but honorary mention to her old man for what’s still one of the best interviews.
Special mention to cyclist Ellesse Andrews and golfer Lydia Ko, but a history-making and breaking achievement from Sadowski-Synnott takes the cake.
