Article Written by Aaron Kirby | The West Australia
Superstar West Australian cyclist Jai Hindley is in the running for a third prestigious Sports Star of the Year nod, while former West Coast Fever star Courtney Bruce is hoping it’s third time lucky.
The West Australian can reveal the pair are both finalists for the SportWest WA Sports Star of the Year award, alongside Minjee and Min Woo Lee, which recognises the outstanding and highest achievement of an individual from Western Australia.
Previous winners include the champion cyclist in 2020 and 2022, as well as Paralympic star Madison de Rozario (2021), champion Docker Nat Fyfe (2019, 2015) and global megastar Sam Kerr (2017, 2018). The 12 finalists for the WA Sports Star are revealed ahead of the awards night on February 29, 2024, with Hindley and Bruce the second duo to be unveiled.
Jai Hindley
Hindley has raised the bar on cycling in WA after his incredible Giro d’Italia win in 2022 and continued to show he is one of the world’s elite.
In cycling’s biggest and most prestigious race, the Tour de France, Hindley donned the yellow jersey as the overall leader through multiple stages and even pulled off an incredible ride to claim victory over Stage Five of the race.
His pace slipped away at the back end, but the West Aussie still secured a seventh-place finish.
Hindley also finished fourth in the Criterium du Dauphine after claiming eighth place during the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
Courtney Bruce
The former West Coast Fever skipper went from strength to strength in 2023, absolutely dominating on the global stage.
Bruce was crowned the Netball World Cup’s Best Defence Player as Australia sliced through the competition, losing just one match to England, before claiming redemption and the title in a tense final.
She followed it up by playing an integral part in Australia’s 3-0 Constellation Cup sweep of New Zealand as well as the sweep of South Africa.
At domestic level, Bruce led the Fever to the Preliminary Final against the NSW Swifts.
West Coast were eventually denied by a single goal.
Bruce also finished runner-up in the club’s best and fairest award, the Stacey Marinkovich Medal.
The 2023 WA Sport Awards will be presented on Thursday, 29 February 2024 at HBF Stadium. Tickets are on sale now, purchase your ticket HERE.
For more information
Please contact SportWest Events Manager, Hannah Lawton at events@sportwest.com.au or Communications Manager Bronte Vause at brontevause@sportwest.com.au
