7DAYS awards: nominate your sports star of 2015

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: 7DAYS awards: nominate your sports star of 2015 It’s been quite a year for sport and to mark the achievements of the best – and worst – we have drawn up our nominations list for the 2015 7DAYS Sports Awards. Granted, it’s not the Oscars or the Ballon d’Or, but who wouldn’t want to walk away with the pride of knowing they have won the big one. Judging this year’s awards are a ragtag bunch of journalists and editors from 7DAYS Towers who will be arguing the case for their choice of sportsperson of the year. We will also choose the nominations for Team of the Year and the not-so-coveted ‘It’s been a bad year’ gong. How to vote As stated, the 7DAYS team are just choosing the nominations – we want you to send us your choice or nominate your own winners. Email sport@7days.ae or tweet us @7DAYSSPORT with your nominations. Sportsperson of the year Dan Carter  Dan Carter didn’t win the Rugby World Cup by himself, but the All Blacks legend was at his peerless best as he signed off from international rugby as New Zealand retained the Webb Ellis Cup. Skill, strength, speed and tactical nous, the 33-year-old showed it all in spades throughout the tournament. In the final against Australia, Carter was New Zealand’s top tackler – his 12 hits proved that this No. 10 is as much about graft as tactical brilliance and flawless kicking. And what about the kicking? Well there was the ice cool 40-metre drop goal, a key moment which pulled the rug from under the Wallabies after they had just fought back from 21-3 to 21-17 down. That was followed up by the long-range penalty from just past the halfway line, which killed the contest. Throw in a rare right-booted conversion and the greatest ever No. 10 to play the game effectively capped a brilliant personal mission with 19 points from the boot. In a sport of big hits, skill, tactics and nerve, he looks unflappable. For that reason, Dan Carter is my sportsman of the year. Nominated by Chris Fraser Michelle Payne On the morning of November 3, 2015 not many people outside of Australia racing would have known who Michelle Payne was. By the afternoon everyone in the world of sport was talking about her. When Payne rode outsider Prince of Penzance to victory in the Emirates Melbourne Cup not only did she take home the biggest prize in Australian horse racing, but she also became the first winning female jockey since the race began in 1861. Facing prejudice throughout her career, Payne was pretty honest in her interviews after the winning race. She said: “Everyone else can get stuffed [who] think women aren’t good enough. It’s such a chauvinistic sport, a lot of the owners wanted to kick me off.” For her performance at Flemington alone, Michelle Payne is my pick for sportsperson of the year. Nominated by Mike Starling Jordan Spieth On paper alone, 2015 belongs to golfer Jordan Spieth. Two majors, including the hallowed US Masters, in only his fourth season as a pro is a remarkable feat, not forgetting he came second and fourth in the other two. However, the majors were just the tip of the iceberg for the World No.1. Of the 25 PGA Tour events he played, he won five, came second in four and ended up with 15 top 10 finishes. That demonstrates not only remarkable ability but also remarkable mental strength from the young Texan. Earlier this year, Spieth admitted he had two goals in life – win the Masters and to become the best player in the world. With those already in the bag at the age of 22, imagine what the future holds. Nominated by Simon Pluckrose Steph Curry The Golden State Warrior is making a name for himself as the sharpest shooter in NBA history. Curry has been in red-hot form in 2015. This year he became the fastest player to make 1,000 three-pointers, achieved in 369 games; 88 fewer games than previous record-holder Dennis Scott. He also smashed the record as the fastest player to score 100 three-pointers in the play-offs, reaching the milestone in 28 games. And he became the first player in NBA history to have six three-pointers and six steals in a single play-off game. Basketball is very much a team game, but with stats like that it’s easy to see why the Golden State Warriors won their 2015 NBA Championship. Curry’s best achievement was leading the Warriors to victory over Cleveland and the big man LeBron James. Anyone who can topple the King deserves recognition so Curry is my sports star of the year. Nominated by Barry King Tyson Fury In an era of media-managed mouthpieces, boxer Tyson Fury was a breath of, okay, sometimes not so fresh air. Some of his press conference posturing and Twitter tirades bordered on the moronic, triggering the predictable “but he’s supposed to be a role model” rubbish. After his nomination for the BBC Sports Personality Award, it seemed everyone lined up to take a swing. Inside the ring, in case some people have forgotten, the son of Irish travellers who was brought up in a caravan defeated Wladimir Klitschko to become the IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight world champion. For too long the division has been full of big talk and little excitement. With one fight, Fury has changed the landscape of the sport. Judge him on that. Nominated by Graeme Elder Notable mentions Novak Djokovic Richie McCaw Lydia Ko Conor McGregor Serena Williams Usain Bolt Lionel Messi Team of the year award Barcelona The Spanish football giants were a class apart in 2015 winning the Champions League, La Liga and the Club World Cup. Golden State Warriors Golden State defeated Cleveland Cavaliers in six games (4-2) for their first NBA title in more than 40 years. Mercedes F1 With Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg behind the wheel Mercedes dominated with a record-breaking season in Formula One. New Zealand The outstanding All Blacks smashed rivals Australia to retain the Rugby World Cup with a top display at Twickenham.   ‘It’s been a bad year’ award Sepp Blatter As the boss of the biggest scandal-hit organisation ever, Old Sepp deserves his award nomination and is favourite for the crown. Money vs Manny So much hype, so much disappointment. Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao was the fight everyone wanted to see. Shame the actual action in the ring did not compare to the excitement during the build-up. Drone operators If you are going fly a drone to film action at an event try not to harm the competitors. World Cup ski champion Marcel Hirscher was very close to being hit by a falling drone at a recent Alpine event in Italy. Send us your choice or nominate your own winners. Email sport@7days.ae or tweet us @7DAYSSPORT with your nominations.         Read the original story at: 7DAYS awards: nominate your sports star of 2015