Hooker Lauded with the 2008 Don Award

Published On: 10 October 2008

Steve Hooker

WAIS Olympic champion Steve Hooker has been named the 2008 Don Award winner, recognizing his efforts in Beijing as being the sporting achievement that most inspired the nation.

Hooker soared to the Olympic pole vault gold medal in Beijing, setting a new Olympic record in the process, and along with Diving gold medallist, Matthew Mitcham (joint winners) was honoured at the Annual Sport Australia Hall of Fame function at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium.

Six of the seven nominees for the 2008 award were medallists at the Beijing Games, with 2007 MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner being the exception.

The other 2008 Don Award nominees were swimmer Stephanie Rice, who won three Olympic titles in Beijing, all in world record time; Emma Snowsill, who won Australia’s first Olympic triathlon title; cyclist Anna Meares, who won the silver medal in the women’s sprint only seven months after suffering a fractured vertebra in a crash; and Sally McLellan, who won silver in the 100m hurdles in a photo finish.

Hooker became the first man to win an Olympic gold in the pole vault and was also the first man to win a track and field gold medal since the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 where Ralph Doubell won the 800m title.

Hall of Fame chairman John Bertrand hailed the winners and lauded their respective Olympic successes.

“This year the performance of Steve Hooker and Matthew Mitcham were two of the absolute highlights of the Beijing Olympics,” he said.

“Few pundits expected them to bring home gold, to do so in such thrilling fashion was sport at its most inspiring.”

Hooker is currently overseas following his Olympic heroics, but will be in Perth next week for the Wally Foreman Foundation Radiothon, which supports elite athletes in their pursuit of glory.

The 2008 Wally Foreman Foundation Radiothon will be held at Challenge Stadium next Thursday October 16, with 720 ABC Perth presenting their Drive Program live from 3-6pm, with Russell Woolf on location.


There will be a host of Olympic athletes present, signing autographs including Hooker and fellow gold medallists Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson (470 sailing).