Saturday, January 19, 2019

Sport: Thrower Dacres, Swim Champ Alia Cop Sportsman, Woman of the Year

Discus thrower Fedrick Dacres and swimming sensation Alia Atkinson have been named the 2018 RJRGleaner National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the gala ceremony, held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Friday night.
Dacres, 24, and Atkinson, 30 were among a list of 15 nominees for the prestigious awards.
Dacres was arguably the country’s top sportsperson for 2018. He had one of his best years in 2018 where he had a trio of major wins.
Dacres won the discus gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia in a Games Record 68.20m on April 13. He followed up that victory by claiming the Diamond League discus title and US$50,000 at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on August 31 with a throw of 68.67m and then beat the world at the IAAF Continental Cup in the Czech Republic on September 8 with a throw of 67.97m.
Atkinson was winning the national award for the second straight year and three times overall. The four-time Olympian first won the prestigious award in 2014.
Atkinson also won three other awards including the People’s Choice “Performance of the Year,” for her  new 50-metre breaststroke world short course record swim of 28.56 seconds, at the FINA Swimming World Cup meet in Budapest, Hungary on October 6. 
Atkinson also walked away with the Gleaner Iconic Award and the Female Athlete of the Year for aquatic.
Shot-putter Danniel Thomas-Dodd and triple-jumper Kimberly Williams finished in a tie for runner-up to the Sportswoman of the Year.
Among the highlights for Atkinson in 2018 was winning Jamaica’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia with a silver in the 50m breaststroke on April 6.  Atkinson clocked 30.76 seconds, just under a fifth of a second to the gold medal winner Sarah Vasey of England, who won in 30.60 seconds

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