SOURCE: DAILY OBSERVER – West Indies fast bowler, Alzarri Joseph and IFBB Elite Pro Bikini Fitness bodybuilder, Ambassador Kimberly Percival, were named Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year for 2022 when the Ministry of Sports held the Cool & Smooth-sponsored National Sports Awards on Saturday evening at the St John’s Pentecostal Church House of Restoration located on Lauchland Benjamin Drive.
The awards ceremony, the first since the Covid-19 virus reached the shores of Antigua and Barbuda in 2020, also crowned swimmers Ethan Stubbs-Green and Ellie Shaw as the Junior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively.
Speaking following the awards, Percival said that the win, her third after having previously captured the accolade in 2016 and 2017, was just as satisfying, but she also highlighted a special award from sports minister Daryll Matthew to the Antigua and Barbuda Professional Bodybuilders Committee of which she is a member, as one that brought tears to her eyes.
“To be honest, before tonight, I was not familiar with the other nominees and probably intentionally so, just so not to psych myself out or anything along those lines, so I am definitely happy to see bodybuilding recognised in this way, to see my effort recognised in this way, and even more so, the Minister’s award to the ABPBC [Antigua and Barbuda Professional Bodybuilders Committee], that brought tears to my eyes because that was totally unexpected.
This is just a little committee formed recently in 2019, and for us to have made such a big impact and carried our flag, I am really happy for that and of course, the icing on the cake is that award I got tonight,” she said.
Joseph is currently in Zimbabwe as part of the West Indies senior men’s team, as they prepare for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers starting next this week.
His father and former national cricketer, Alva Joseph, accepted the award on his behalf.
The Leeward Islands and national cricketer had previously won the award in 2016.
Meanwhile, a humbled Shaw who became the first female to win gold for the twin-island state at the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Championships in July last year, pointed out how tough she thought it would have been to win the award given the outstanding achievements of all the other nominees in her category.
“I am feeling really happy, and I just thank everybody for supporting me. I looked at all of the other nominees and I thought I had great competition, but obviously I had faith in myself that I would win.
Next is the Olympics in Paris next year,” the athlete said.
Other winners on the night were Renfield Davis and Francine Hector from the Antigua and Barbuda Domino Association (ABDA) who were named male and female Mind Sports Athletes of the Year, swimming’s Kem Warner who was Administrator of the Year, swimming’s Wayne Mitchell who was named Coach of the Year.
The Antigua and Barbuda Swimming Federation (ABSF) was named Association of the Year. There were also posthumous awards for former technical director of football, Rolston “Debu” Williams, football administrator Rhea Jarvis, and cyclist Andre Simon.
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