Cyclist Michael Matthews has beaten an all-star cast boasting a grand slam finalist and an NRL sensation to be crowned Canberra's male athlete of the year.
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Matthews pipped tennis star Nick Kyrgios and Canberra Raiders prop Joe Tapine to win the men's athlete of the year at the Canberra Sport Awards on Friday night.
Kyrgios became Australia's first male to reach a Wimbledon singles final in 19 years, just months after captivating audiences en route to an Australian Open doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Tapine emerged as arguably the best prop in rugby league during a stellar NRL campaign with the Raiders before helping New Zealand to a World Cup semi-final.
But Matthews was given the nod after winning stage 14 of the Tour de France - when he passed Alberto Bettiol on a thrilling final climb - and taking out the sprints classification at the 2022 Tour de Suisse.
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"Obviously some great candidates this year with a lot of athletes at a really high level around the world, competing on the best stage," Matthews said in a video played at the awards ceremony.
"[I'm] super happy. I can't be there to accept the award myself but I will be coming back in January for some more racing, so hopefully that will go well.
"I want to say thank you to AusCycling for the nomination, I really appreciate it. It's an honour of mine to win this."
Commonwealth Games gold medallist and javelin world champion Kelsey Lee-Roberts claimed the women's athlete of the year award while triathlete Sam Harding was named the city's premier para-athlete.
An Australian Ice Hockey League triumph saw the Canberra Brave claim the team of the year award, while teenage basketballer Alex Toohey was named the city's rising star on the sporting landscape.
Rugby league great Glenn Lazarus and horse racing jockey Darren Beadman joined the ACT Sport Hall of Fame as full members, with former international soccer referee Ben Williams recognised as an associate member.
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Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
