Kurt Fearnley wins prestigious Don Award

Kurt Fearnley wins prestigious Don Award

On Thursday 11 October 2018 Kurt Fearnley became the first athlete with a disability to win The Don award, but was typically self-effacing about his achievement, saying he had rolled in the slipstream of scores of Paralympians who had had little or no recognition.

‘‘I recognise tonight that I am the first within our Paralympic movement to hold up this prestigious award,’’ he said, ‘‘but I have no intention of self-congratulation. I have to point back behind me to the generations of proud men and women with disabilities who allowed me to become the person and athlete that you see fit to receive this award.

The genial Fearnley and fellow wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage have done more than any others to normalise Paralympians in Australia’s sporting consciousness.

Fearnley, 37, has competed at five Olympics, winning two marathon gold medals and another at 5000 metres. Along the way, he won many other marathons, once ‘‘crawled’’ the Kokoda Track, and won an AO.

He brought down the curtain on his career at this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, where he won gold in the marathon and the 1500 metres and was Australia’s flagbearer at the closing ceremony.

‘‘I couldn’t have finished my career any better,’’ he said. ‘‘I received so much from my sport, I received so much from wearing green and gold, and I don’t have any more to give. It was the perfect moment for me to call it a day.’’

The Don is awarded annually by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. It pays tribute to the athlete judged to have most ‘‘inspired the nation’’.

Fearnley had been a finalist four times. This year he beat motor sports stars Daniel Ricciardo and Will Power, cricketer Ellyse Perry, soccer star Sam Kerr, former Australian hockey captain Mark Knowles and para-athletes Madison de Rozario and Lauren Parker.