Vala, Wisil top

 By ISAIAH IGISH

ASSADOLLAH Vala won the 2013 SP Sports Award Sportsman of the Year, with  Pacific sprint queen Toea Wisil – for a third consecutive year – bagging the Sportswoman of the Year.

The presentation on Saturday night at Crown Plazza in Port Moresby also witnessed The National photographer Ekar Keapu bagging the Sports Photo of the Year award.

Vala – Hebou Barramundis’ standout batsman – played for the East Asia Pacific team at the Australian County cricket championship last year hitting 179 runs with a high score of 80.

In the ICC World T20 qualifiers in Dubai, Vala scored 52 against Canada to help PNG finish 8th out of sixteen teams. He was also selected into the Queensland Inferno squad to play in the KFC T20 challenge in Brisbane, Australia.

Vala snatched the award away from Dion Aiye (rugby league) and Ryan Pini (swimming). 

Wisil’s performance at the 2012 London Olympics was extraordinary and easily earned her the top spot in the women’s category. 

Although she missed out on the 100m heats proper in London, she would have made history for PNG. Her time was 11.27 seconds.

The 2012 Pacific Islands ranking showed Wisil – from Jiwaka – as the only female athlete to run under 12sec for the 100m at 17 meets.

She dominated the 200m rankings with nine performances. 

Wisil – who broke PNG’s 200m record with a time of 23.46s at the Queensland Championship last year – is currently in Brisbane preparing for this year’s Oceania Championships in Tahiti. 

PNG Athletics president Tony Green received the award on behalf of Wisil on the night which saw Kiwi and Samoan rugby league international Nigel Vagana as the guest speaker.

This is the third consecutive year which Wisil has won the SP Sports Woman of the year. She also bagged the award in 2011 and 2012.

SP Brewery general manager Stan Joyce said their support for sports in the country was ongoing.