Not a vintage year for NZ sports

It was to be a year to remember for New Zealand sport.

By the beginning of this month four of the world's most prestigious sports trophies should have been locked away in cabinets in various parts of the country _  that's if you listened to self-appointed experts earlier in the year.

The cricket and rugby World Cups, the America's Cup and the netball world championship trophy were all but ours.

In the end the bonanza _ not surprisingly _ failed to materialise.

Realistically, the rugby World Cup was New Zealand's best chance of success. It was the only one New Zealand entered as favourite. In the end the All Blacks were the worst performers of the vaunted quartet.

The Black Caps did well to reach the semi-finals with a team of limited ability, the netballers were second favourites behind Australia and that is how it transpired, and the Americas Cup team reached the final but had to bow to the holder, Alinghi, in the fickle waters off Valencia.

It was individuals rather than teams who stole the sporting spotlight in 2007.

The performance of the year was Valerie Vili's win in the shot put at the world track and field championships in Osaka in August.

The 23-year-old from Auckland displayed remarkable calm _ and strength _ to win the title with her final throw.

A former youth and junior world champion, Vili is destined for a long reign in the event and could threaten the world record in years to come -- a record set when drug-taking in strength events was at its zenith.

Vili was awarded the Lonsdale Cup for the second consecutive year last week and is short favourite to win the Supreme Halberg Award in February.

Mahe Drysdale in the men's singles sculls and the men's coxless four, and Duncan Grant in the lightweight single sculls continued rowing's golden era with wins at the world championships in Munich in August.

Rowers added two silver medals to cement rowing as New Zealand's undisputed top performing sport.

There were other world champions to salute this year.

Katherine Prumm won the women's world motocross title for the second consecutive year, Nicole Begg won the world inline skating 1000m sprint title in Colombia, and watch for a new name in New Zealand sport, Sarah Walker, who won the elite women's cruiser class at the world BMX championships in Victoria, Canada, and was second in the Olympic class, marking her as a medal prospect in Beijing next year.

Scott Dixon came desperately close to a second IndyCar series title in the United States. He needed to win the last race in Chicago and was leading on the final lap when his car ran out of fuel leaving his pit crew red-faced.

Josh Coppins was headed for the world motocross title mid-year until injury intervened. He won six of the first seven races in the series and then had to sit at home recuperating from a shoulder injury and watch a 107-point lead disappear with two rounds left.

It had the potential for being a bumper year in 2007. Perhaps 2008 will be the one to remember.

- © Fairfax NZ News