In 2023, South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) athletes put the world on notice ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, claiming 10 gold, 14 silver and 10 bronze medals across world championship events.
And last Friday night those incredible achievements were honoured at the SASI Awards, held at Adelaide Oval.
The big winners came out of the pool, with swimmers Meg Harris and Kyle Chalmers winning Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year.
And the water theme continued, with para-rowers Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers taking out the Para Athlete of the Year award and rowing coach Christine MacLaren winning the Coach of the Year gong.
The Junior Male Athlete of the Year went to cyclist Tayte Ryan and Junior Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Lucy Voyvodic.
Voyvodic thanked the SASI team for giving her “the opportunity to improve my on-court skills and personal development in a high-performance environment”.
“It’s a great honour to receive this award given how many amazing athletes could have easily been picked so thank you very much,” she said.
Altschwager’s night only got better, with the para-rower also taking home the Amy Gillett-Safe Award, presented annually as a memorial to one of SASI’s and Australia’s finest athletes and recognises an individual’s commitment to sport through passion and persistence.
Other award winners included SASI sport program athletes of the year, and the SASI Service to Sport Award which went to Head of Physical Preparation Luke Knappstein for his commitment to the SASI values of teamwork, excellence, courage and energy.
It was also a momentous night for SASI Director Wes Battams, who celebrated his last day before heading into retirement after 26 years of service.
During Mr Batttams’ time at SASI, 11,000 scholarships have been offered to more than 4600 athletes, and he has led the SASI team through six Olympic/Paralympic cycles.
“This past year has been another shining example of the extraordinary efforts that the SASI team put in to achieve greatness on the national and international stage,” Mr Battams said.
“The outstanding achievements and reputation of our SASI athletes, programs and staff is hard won, well deserved and a testament to them all.
"Reflecting on the highlights from this year is an exciting sign of what lies ahead in 2024 and I trust that the culture of excellence at SASI will endure for generations to come."
