Top 24 of 2024: Who gets the No.1 spot in our top 24 WA athletes for 2024?

As 2024 draws to a close The West Australian looks back on who grabbed the headlines as we countdown the top WA athletes for 2024. In part IV, we unveil the top six - including the coveted No.1 spot. 6. Mim Strom In an AFLW season where Fremantle returned to finals, the dominance of Mim Strom was undoubtedly the highlight. Dubbed “a unicorn” for her ability to impact in the air and her follow-up work on the ground, she acted as an extra midfielder for the improved Dockers. Strom twice broke the record for most hit-outs in a game, setting a new benchmark for the competition with 55. She also broke the record for most hit-outs in a regular season with 390 across 11 games. The 23-year-old was celebrated by her club, named the Dockers’ best and fairest player for the first time. She was also recognised by the wider footy world, earning a maiden All-Australian blazer. A derby medal only added to her impressive 2024 season, as the humble hero became a bonafide star. 5. Bryce Cotton Just when you think Bryce Cotton can’t get any better, the Perth Wildcats superstar proves you wrong. Already a four-time NBL MVP and three-time NBL champion, Cotton dropped an unbelievable 59 points over New Zealand - a record in the modern 40-minute era. The career-best haul was also the most ever by a Perth Wildcats player. But the 32-year-old wasn’t done yet, with that game the first of four consecutive 40-plus point games, becoming the first player since Andrew Gaze in 1991 to do so. 4. Matt Ebden He might have only held the No.1 doubles ranking for a week but Matt Ebden was on top of the world in 2024. After claiming the Australian Open crown alongside Rohan Bopanna (India), Ebden made his Olympics debut in Paris. The 37-year-old had a minor victory, winning a game against top seed Novak Djokovic in his short-lived singles campaign. But it was his major victory, in the men’s doubles alongside John Peers that would make his nation proud. Ebden and Peers became Olympic champions, winning Australia’s first tennis gold medal since 1998. The 37-year-old capped off his remarkable ye by being crowned joint winner of the Newcombe Medal at the Australian Tennis Awards, alongside Alex de Minaur. 3. Patrick Cripps The Carlton captain broke records left, right and centre on the way to his second Brownlow Medal. His ridiculous 45 votes shattered the previous best of 36, held by Dustin Martin and Ollie Wines, as the star midfielder became the first Blues player to become a dual winner. The Northampton product polled in 17 of a possible 23 games and Cripps was viewed as best on ground in 12 of them. The 29-year-old was also named vice-captain as he earned his fourth All-Australian blazer and claimed his fifth club champion award, equalling the record held by its namesake, John Nicholls. 2. Matt Wearn It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Matt Wearn on his quest to go back-to-back at the Olympics. But it made victory that much sweeter for the Fremantle sailor, who claimed consecutive gold medals for Australia with victory at the Paris Games. The 29-year-old had battled a gruelling bout of long COVID in the three years between Games and wasn’t sure if he would ever compete again. His resilience was tested again by tricky conditions on the water of Marseille, as his gold medal race was postponed and then called off before finally, he crossed the finish line in the re-run deciding race. Wearn’s remarkable feats earned him the honour of being a flag-bearer at the Olympic Closing Ceremony, alongside Kaylee McKeown. The champion pair later shared the honour of being named the Australian Institute of Sport’s Able-Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. 1. Nina Kennedy Western Australia’s golden girl got her Olympic gold medal. The star pole vaulter captivated the nation as she soared to new heights with a 4.90m jump to stand atop the podium at the Paris Games, less than four years after failing to reach the final in Tokyo. Kennedy became the first Australian woman to win Olympic gold in the pole vault and the first Australian since Steve Hooker in 2008.