Top Halberg winner Vili simply supreme

World champion shot putter Valerie Vili was delighted to receive the supreme Halberg award at an athletics meeting rather than at the ceremony.

Vili was not at the Halberg Awards ceremony in Christchurch, instead competing at an international athletics meeting at Trusts Stadium in Waitakere, west Auckland.

She celebrated by throwing more than 20m twice, her best marks for the season, and then received the awards by video link with her family and athletics supporters present.

"I got to share the success with real athletics people in an environment that I'm used to," Vili said.

"It's a great way to put the icing on the cake for the 2007 year."

Vili said it was the presence of her family rather than the awards which spurred her to throw 20m.

"I didn't really think about the Halberg awards until I'd finished competing. I knew they were on but my first and foremost focus was on the competition," she said.

"What spurred me on was having my family there – giving them the opportunity to see what I do and to throw over 20m and give them a great show was special."

Making it a double delight for Vili was her coach Kirsten Hellier taking out the coach of the year award.

"Athletics is a very individual sport and it can get quite lonesome. We travel together and it's awesome to have her around. She knows her thing and I know my thing and together we make a great team."

Hellier let it slip that Vili competed tonight with a slight back injury – "if you'd seen her four days ago she looked as though she was 90" – and Vili said the injury came in training but not by throwing or lifting.

"My back was hurt, believe it or not, sprinting on slightly wet grass," she said.

"Being an elite athlete you always have niggles. I'm still treating it and it's going away."

Hellier, who represented New Zealand in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the javelin, said Vili was a pleasure to train.

"You set her a task and she'll do it. Her top six inches is extraordinary and that's what makes her the elite athlete that she is.

"She knows what she wants, she knows what she has to do and I'm very fortunate in that she trusts in me that we're doing the right thing."

Vili heads to Australia on Thursday to train and compete in the Australian National Championships before heading to the world indoor championships in Valencia.

HALBERG WINNERS

Supreme award: Valerie Vili (athletics).

Sportsman of the year: Mahe Drysdale (rowing).

Sportswoman of the year: Valerie Vili.

Sports team of the year: Men's coxless rowing four.

Coach of the year: Kirsten Hellier (athletics).

Emerging talent award: Emma Twigg (rowing).

- NZPA