Hurley writes history books as first multiple award winner

Shooter Steve Hurley has become the first multiple winner of Albany’s highest individual sporting honour winning his second overall Albany Sportsperson of the Year title.

For the third straight year Hurley was named as the senior category winner at the Wellington and Reeves Albany Sportsperson of the Year awards gala presentations at the Albany Entertainment Centre, his seventh title overall following a dominant another year.

Hurley's seventh senior title came courtesy of his 2015 which reached new record breaking heights where his golden run at the Australian Lever Action Rifle Championships continued with his eighth consecutive national three-gun title.

What made the feat more special was the Hurley set a new Australian shooting record in the process with his 480 out of 500 writing his name into the record books.

Hurley has now won the overall award twice in its four years alongside inaugural winner Emma Panizza and last year’s winner Rob Slattery.

Emerging cycling star Craig Wiggins was crowned Junior Sportsperson of the Year for the second time after beating a highly competitive field of nominees for the prestigious title.

Wiggins, 16, clinched his second national road championship title in 2015 when he won the under-17 criterium at the Cycling Australia Junior Road National Championships in Victoria in September.

Wiggins also claimed silver in the under-17 national road race, national team sprint challenge and national kierin championships and topped off his medal haul for the year with five State titles on track and road.

Triathlete Dermot Buckley was announced as the winner of the Veteran Sportsperson of the Year after competing and slashing more than three minutes off his previous best time at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Chicago.

The 68-year-old then finished second at the Triathlon WA State Sprint Championships in December.

The 43rd gala awards evening recognised the outstanding performance and the contribution by athletes to their chosen sport.

Albany's sporting elite heard from recently retired Fremantle Dockers defender Luke McPharlin, who was the guest speaker at the awards.

The Albany Advertiser is a sponsor of the Albany Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

Full coverage of the awards will be published in Tuesday's Albany Advertiser