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The awards keep coming for the members of Emirates Team New Zealand with Josh Junior collecting the sportsman of the year and supreme awards at last night's Sport Wellington awards night.
Josh Junior picked up the supreme award at the Sport Wellington awards. Photo: ACEA.
Junior was a cyclor on Team New Zealand's winning America's Cup boat and his exploits helped him beat World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett for the Sportsman of the Year accolade and then go on to claim the top prize. He also won the sports section at the Wellingtonian of the Year awards in December.
Junior is not the first on the boat to pick up individual awards, with helmsman Peter Burling being named World Sailor of the year as well the supreme award winner at the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards. Andy Maloney (North Harbour) and Blair Tuke (Northland) also collected the top prizes in their regions and Team New Zealand won the supreme award at the Halberg Awards.
All four are members of the NZL Sailing Team and Junior and Maloney are this week competing in the Finn class at Kiel Week as they prepare for the upcoming sailing world championships in Denmark. Burling and Tuke are locked in an exciting battle in the Volvo Ocean race and will set off tonight on the final leg of the round-the-world race with both still in line to collect the unique treble of Olympic gold, America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race.
