Honour upon honour for Cameron Leslie
Whangarei Paralympic gold medal winner Cameron Leslie is honoured that his stellar year has been capped with a nomination in the Maori Sports Awards.
Leslie, who smashed his own 150m individual medley world record to defend his swimming title at the London Paralympics earlier this year, is one of three nominees in the Te Toihuarewa - Disabled Maori Sports Person of the Year category in the awards.
Of Ngapuhi descent, he has acknowledged he is facing some tough competition from Jane Parsons, Taranaki, for tandem cycling and George Thomas, from Te Arawa, for waka ama.
Leslie, who won the Disabled Maori Sports Person of the Year award in 2010, said the nomination was recognition of a good year.
"Sports awards are a good chance to reflect on the things you have achieved. When you are competing you are pretty focused on other things, like your nutrition, fitness and other things, and you often miss the magnitude of what you have done," he said.
"It's only when you take some time away from your sport, or at sports awards, that you can celebrate what you have achieved."
He said it wasn't just about the sportsperson either as the awards also gave the opportunity to acknowledge all the work and sacrifices their supporters and family made.
"It's a chance to stand up and thank all those people publicly for their help in getting you where you are," Leslie said.
He is the only Northlander in the running for the 22nd annual awards, to be held at Auckland's TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre on November 24.
Awards executive director Dick Garratt said the record number of Maori athletes achieving on the world stage in the past year is testament to the vision of the event's founder, the late Albie Pryor.
