There’s often predictions the Orange Eight Day Games will come down to the final day’s events and in this year’s King of Sport race, that couldn’t have been more accurate, even if no one knew until Saturday’s presentation night.
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For the first time in the competition’s 42-year history the men’s division was a stalemate as Jackson Leckie and Simon Wright couldn’t be separated, which served to make the announcement at Saturday night’s presentation all the more thrilling.
Leckie and Wright finished deadlocked on 533 points to share the 2018 King of Sport crown, with the latter actually making up a lot of ground over the last couple of days’ events.
When scores went behind closed doors on Wednesday evening Leckie held a 19-point lead, Wright making that up on Friday and Saturday by consistently finishing near the top in each event, picking up podium spots in the cycling, orienteering and bowhunting as well.
That was a trend for Wright who finished among the minor placings in eight different individual events.
Nicole Williamson claimed her sixth Queen of Sport crown, once again being embroiled in a fantastic battle for top spot with 10-time champion Cathy Johnson, who won the past three titles.
With wins in golf, athletics, orienteering and the 3.5km cross country run Williamson tallied 472 points to win by 14 from Johnson (458), with multi-sport star Bec Ford finishing third on 444 after a massive effort.
She finished third in 2015 as well and while she’s yet to win a title – Johnson and Williamson have had a mortgage on the prize recently – she proved her guts, defying an illness on the final couple of days to pick up bronze.
She claimed an individual win in the commando course as well, also finishing on the podium in eight other individual events to push Johnson and Williamson all the way.
It wasn’t just the King and Queen of Sport titles presented on Saturday night though, there was a range of other awards handed out as well.
Prue McCarthy was presented the Erin Curran Life Be In It Award, which each year is given to the competitor that best epitomises what the Orange Eight Day Games are all about.
Williamson also won the inaugural Val Gregory Legacy Shield, a memorial award now presented to the individual golf champions. She shared the prize with Adrian Priest.
Ford also won the Ken Williams Memorial Sportsmanship Award, presented to those who compete, encourage others and engage in the true spirit of the games. She shared that with David Pannowitz.
Another award presented on the night went to Priest as well, he won the Bill Pringle Memorial Award, determined by the competitors and presented to a committee member that assisted and encouraged everyone throughout the event.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
