Australia’s paddle community is represented strongly in this year’s World Paddle Awards nominations with seven representatives from affiliated and non-affiliated paddle disciplines having been recognised for their achievements in the world of paddlesports across five award categories.
They are amongst an illustrious list of the best of the best in the world of paddlesports, who are up for the ‘Golden Paddle’ for their investment into paddlesports and their achievements on and off the water this year.
Congratulations go to Cory Hill, Curtis McGrath, Jessica Fox, Myriam Fox and Carolyn Cooper, Julien Billaut, as well as Jackie Dillon on their nominations.
The World Paddle Awards (WPA) is held annually, celebrating the most remarkable men and women from the world of paddlesports along with their achievements from the previous calendar year across seven award categories.
By award, the list of 2018 Paddle Australia World Paddle Awards nominees is:
Paddle Australia Disciplines
- Sportsman: Cory Hill (AUS), Curtis McGrath (AUS)
- Sportswoman: Jessica Fox (AUS)
- Foundation Award: Myriam Fox (AUS)
- Media Professional: Carolyn Cooper (AUS), Julien Billaut (FRA/AUS)
Other AUS Paddle Sports Nominees
- Lifetime Achievement: Jackie Dillon (AUS / waveski surfing): http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-jackie-dillon-australia
VOTE now for our nominees!
The public can take part in the voting procedures with voting now open until 9 December 2018. Head to the World Paddle Awards nominees pages or follow the links below. You can ‘Like’ (Facebook) and ‘Google+’ your selections to win at the bottom of each nominee profile.
NOTE: you can vote for multiple people in one category!
Public voting closes Sunday 9 December 2018 … so get voting!
A full explanation of the voting procedure can be found HERE.
2018 Australian Nominations
Sports Woman of the Year Nominee: Jessica Fox
At the 2018 Slalom World Championships in Rio De Janeiro, Jessica Fox completely stole the show. Winning her seventh individual senior world title, successfully defending her 2017 K1 championship crown and completing a season unbeaten in the C1, Fox became the most successful female slalom paddler in history. This achievement saw her surpass her father Richard Fox who was previously the most successful individual paddler in history, and her mother Miriam Fox-Jersusalmi who topped the leader board as the most successful female.
Whilst she could have been excused for wanting to head straight home to celebrate following this record-breaking competition, Fox travelled straight to Buenos Aires for the Youth Olympic Games to offer advice to up and coming athletes.
Records:
– The most successful female canoe slalom athlete ever
– The most successful individual canoe slalom athlete ever
– First athlete to win both the K1 and C1 world titles in the same year.
– The only female paddler to have won three consecutive world titles
– The first athlete to win both the K1 and C1 World Cup titles.
Vote for Jess here: http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-jessica-fox-australia
Sportsman of the Year: Cory Hill & Curtis McGrath
With Ocean Racing World Champion and Paralympic Champion and Paracanoe World Champion Curtis McGrath, Paddle Australia has two nominees in this ard category.
After a season of racing like no other, Cory Hill has cemented his name in the history books forever. With numerous wins across a range of races and series including the Ocean Racing World Championships and Australian Ocean Racing Series, it was his win at the 2018 Molokai Challenge that showed he is a force to be reckoned with.
To add to his long list of Ocean Racing accolades throughout this season, Cory also won the World Ocean Racing Championships in Hong Kong in November 2017 (2018 for the WPA season) and took out the overall Australian Ocean Racing Series point score which saw him record wins in The Chucky, Pacifica Downwind, Moon Island Classic, Life Flight Ocean Paddle, The Doctor and Palm to Pine. In addition to this Cory also placed 2nd in the Gorge Downwind Championships and 3rd in the Canadian Downwind Championships.
Find out more about Cory’s nomination and vote here: http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-cory-hill-australia
McGrath is leaving no stone unturned on his quest for double gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Winning both the KL2 and VL3 categories at the 2018 Canoe Sprint World Championships, McGrath has now been unbeaten for five years in the Va’a, and three years in the Kayak. A feat that very few athletes worldwide have achieved.
Curtis’ achievements are a testament to his hard work, determination and the way he is able to remain composed and deliver in such high-pressure situation. As a great role model and ambassador, the possibilities for Curtis McGrath both on and off the water are limitless. All we know is that he is destined for greatness.
Find out more about Curtis’ nomination and vote for him here: http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-curtis-mcgrath-australia
Foundation Award: Myriam Fox
Paddle Australia’s Canoe Slalom Coach Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi has been nominated for the Foundation Award.
Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi is the National Coach of Paddle Australia’s highly successful women’s Canoe Slalom program and one of the few female coaches on the international stage. She is also the coaching powerhouse behind the most successful slalom paddler of all time – her daughter Jessica Fox.
Myriam’s outstanding ability as a coach is reflected in the success of her athletes, who have enjoyed another standout season in 2018. All of Myriam’s athletes achieved career-best results across both the World Cup series and the World Championships in both C1 and K1.
More about Myriam’s nomination and voting link here: http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-myriam-fox-jerusalmi-australia
Media Professional of the Year: Carolyn Cooper & Julien Billaut
South Australian photographer Carolyn Cooper as well as Paddle Australia’s resident Aussie and canoe slalom coach Jullien Billaut have been nominated for the 2018 Media Professional Award.
Carolyn Cooper is a successful canoe sprint and marathon photographer who builds relationships with the paddlers that appear unmatched.
Nominated for her work as a photographer, she has built relationships with event organizers to showcase the front and behind the scenes efforts to make events great shows.
Find out more about Carolyn and cast your vote here: http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-carolyn-cooper-australia
Former French World Champion canoe slalom paddler Julien Billaut is first of all national canoe slalom coach on Paddle Australia’s Canoe Slalom Team, but also publishes podcasts for which he is nominated. Why podcasts? Julien explains why:
“When I was younger and despite the fact that I was driven to become better at Canoe Slalom, I was too shy to be that inquisitive kid that would ask so many questions when I came across champions.” Julien sees curiosity, personal engagement, self-belief, self accountability and respect as stepping-stones to an endless growing relationship. Without those, neither the coach nor the athlete will move beyond the obvious.
Find out more about Julien’s podcasts and vote for him here: http://www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees/2018-julien-billaut-france
About the World Paddle Awards
The awards recognise the diversity of people and organisations in our community and honour the hard work they put into our sport. Not only are there awards for the athletes but also for coaches, officials (volunteers), media, event organisers and so on. Here is an overview and explanation of the Awards.
Furthermore the awards also reflect the fact that there are many different paddlesports within our community. Besides the Olympic disciplines, canoe sprint and canoe slalom, the WPA also respects and celebrates non-Olympic paddlesports.
The World Paddle Awards ceremony for the 2018 is scheduled to take place in London February/March 2019.
