William Chetcuti got the reward he deserved for his impressive feats of 2011 yesterday when he was named Sportsman of the Year for the eighth time in his career.
The announcement was made during a well-organised SportMalta Awards night at the MFCC during which track sprinter Diane Borg was named as Sportswoman of the Year after topping a poll by journalists to finish ahead of previous year winner Danica Bonello Spiteri, the triathlon champion.
Presentations were held at a packed hall in Ta’ Qali where a show, which lasted over two hours, was produced by joint-organisers, the Għaqda Ġurnalisti Sport and Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport, and transmitted live on TVM.
Among an impressive list of distinguished guests, the spotlight mostly was on Antonio Cabrini, the former Italy player who helped the Azzurri win the 1982 World Cup.
The former Juventus wing-back was invited on stage to name the winner of the prestigious Sport Malta Award, contested by all 10 finalists, following a special KMS vote that also included the public.
The honour went to Bonello Spiteri but she is currently abroad and the trophy was collected by her husband Etienne Bonello, an elite cyclist in the national team.
Chetcuti’s success in the Sportsman of the Year award came as no surprise as the double trap shooter had an incredible 2011 that had an automatic berth to the 2012 London Games featuring prominently in his curriculum. That came after a gold medal at a World Cup shoot in Beijing, China.
Waterpolo player Steve Camilleri, currently on the books of Italian club Bogliasco, was second and squash no.1 Brad Hindle Deguara, winner of two gold medals in the Liechtenstein GSSE, third.
Borg was another clear-cut winner in her category as the winner of two gold and a silver medal in Liechtenstein, outpointed the other four contenders in the poll.
Bonello Spiteri this time had to settle for the runner-up spot ahead of tenpin bowler Sue Abela.
The Malta Shooting Sport Federation had good reason to celebrate last night as the upcoming Nathan Lee Xuereb got the John Debattista trophy in the U-17 category.
Xuereb, who also shoots in double trap, finished just ahead of middle distance runner Nicole Gatt with squash player Colette Sultana in third place.
The rugby national team won the Team of the Year award. Damien Neill’s men, who finished 2011 ranked no.42 in the world, topped the list ahead of the men’s and women’s squash teams in that order.
Neill, however, was runner-up in Official of the Year contest as the honour went to Malta Tenpin Bowling Association president Julian Pace Bonello. Shooting coach Jimmy Bugeja placed third.
Meanwhile, the Malta Judo Federation got a recognition for their successful hosting of the European Judo Championships – Cadets last year while a similar recognition went to the Malta Football Association for their significant contribution to Sports Tourism in 2011.
In an emotional moment late in the show, Pippo Psaila, chairman of the organising committee, presented a special memento to Malta’s top long distance runner Carol Walsh in memory of her late husband John, who passed away last September.
John Walsh, for several years an athletics coach, contributed significantly to raise the popularity of the Malta Marathon and was also the mastermind behind the Walk-athon which lured several hundreds of participants in the past two years.
The Ġħaqda Ġurnalisti Sport took the opportunity yesterday to honour one of the organisation’s most veteran members, Manuel Gauci, who retired last year.
There were also special awards for disabled athletes Mark Zammit Cutajar, Steve Fenech and Mandy Ghio.
Awards list
SportMalta Award
D. Bonello Spiteri
Sportsman of the Year
1. W. Chetcuti 250; 2. S. Camilleri 165; 3. B. Hindle Deguara 144; 4. K. Moore 129; 5. J. Saywell 107.
Sportswoman of the Year
1. D. Borg 215; 2. D. Bonello Spiteri 153; 3. S. Abela 148; 4. D. Desira 147; 5. R. Camilleri 132.
Team of the Year
1. Rugby (men) 181; 2. Squash (men) 168; 3. Squash (women) 159; 4. Artie MSR crew 151; 5. Athletics 4x100 (girls) 139.
Official of the Year
1. J. Pace Bonello 231; 2. D. Neill 165; 3. J. Bugeja 161; 4. J. Caruana 133; 5. D. Buhagiar 105.
U-17 Award
1. N.L. Xuereb 188; 2. N. Gatt 181; 3. C. Sultana 153; 4. N. Muscat 141; 5. R. Pulis 116.
Local Councils Award
Qormi
Disabled Athletes
S. Fenech, M. Ghio, M. Zammit Cutajar.
Special Awards
Malta Football Association, St Margherita College; Nathan Farrugia; Keith Bartolo; Marcon Bezzina; Lifecycle; Special Olympics; Manuel Gauci; John Walsh; Fr Hilary Tagliaferro, Thomas Cremona.