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Bianca Sheppard accepts her Senior Sports Star of the Year Award from Ian Rooks (l) and Kev Say. |
Matthew Denny accepts his Junior Sports Star of the Year Award from David Russell. |
Sheppard went from speechless to motivated to get back in to training after being named 2012 Senior Sport Star of the Year in front of the region's finest athletes on Saturday night.
The 20-year-old weightlifter was visibly stunned to have taken out the coveted award when she walked on stage at Rumours International to accept the honour in front of more than 400 supporters of sport on the Darling Downs.
Sheppard, who broke a 10-year Queensland under 20 record and won gold at the Oceania and Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships last year, took out the 2012 senior gong to join the likes of Nikki Hudson, Justin Anlezark and Michael Katsidis as winners of the award.
"It was completely unexpected. I had no idea. I was pretty much speechless. It was hard to talk," Sheppard said today while preparing to host a celebratory barbecue with friends and family.
"To have my name on the trophy with Olympians and Commonwealth Games athletes is quite nice."
Sheppard paid tribute to the support received from friends and family in chasing her sporting dreams and also thanked her coach, Greg Hobl.
He was unable to attend the presentation but received a phone call from Sheppard soon after the announcement.
Sheppard said she was keen for them to immediately get back in the gym.
"If I had it my way I would have been at the gym at 12 o'clock after the awards," she said.
They might have put a stop to the hastily-convened late night gym session but Sheppard and Hobl will be back into training this week preparing for a big year.
Sheppard steps up to the senior ranks this year and only resumed training last week.
"I haven't actually seen the calendar this year so I don't know what the year will bring," she said.
"It will be much more of a challenge this year moving into the senior ranks. They mainly only pick one male and one female for the big events."
Hobl says Sheppard has the ability to do well in the higher levels.
"Qualifying for national teams and that goes up but she's got the ability," he said.
(Report by Ben Drewe, The Chronicle)
HAD she had it her way, newly-crowned Sports Darling Downs Senior Sport of the Year Bianca Sheppard would have gone from accepting the award straight to a late-night training session.
