SINGAPORE - Olympic swimming champion Joseph Schooling was named the Sportsman of the Year for an unprecedented sixth time at the Singapore Sports Awards at the Orchard Hotel on Tuesday (May 14).
The 23-year-old had won the gong in 2012, and then five straight times from 2015 to 2019. There was no winner in 2013.
Only two athletes - former national swimmer Patricia Chan and table tennis star Li Jiawei - have won the main accolade five times.
Both won the Sportswoman of the Year award, with Chan winning five straight times from 1968 to 1972, while Li was the winner from 2002 to 2006.
Schooling, the reigning Olympic men's 100m champion, won the men's 50m and 100m butterfly titles at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, along with two bronzes in the relays.
He was nominated alongside now-retired paddler Gao Ning and pencak silat world champion Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau'ddin.
Gao, 36, won the men's singles and the mixed doubles titles at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April last year, and is now the men's national coach, while Sheik Farhan was among seven Singaporeans to clinch gold at the 18th World Pencak Silat Championship last year on home ground.
The Sportswoman of the Year award went to shooter Martina Veloso, a first-time winner.
The 19-year-old bagged a double gold at the Commonwealth Games in the 10m air rifle and 50m prone rifle events, and also set a junior world record in the 50m three-position rifle women's event in May 2018.
Veloso beat Roanne Ho (swimming) Nurzuhairah Mohd Yazid (silat) and Vera Tan (wushu) to the award.
The Coach of the Year award went to silat's Sheik Alau'ddin Bin Yaacob Marican.
The other nominees were Helmi Chew (bowling), Andrey Klyushin (fencing) and Gary Tan (swimming).
Honour Roll
Sportsman of the Year: Joseph Schooling (swimming)
Sportswoman of the Year: Martina Veloso (shooting)
Sportsboy of the Year: Muhammad Hazim Mohd Yusli (silat)
Sportsgirl of the Year: Constance Lien (jiu-jitsu)
Coach of the Year: Sheik Alau'ddin Yaacob Marican (silat)
Team of the Year (Team Sport): Men's floorball team
Team of the Year (Event): Nur Azlyana Ismail and Nurhanishah Shahrudin at the 18th World Pencak Silat Championship
Sportsboy/Sportsgirl Team of the Year: Choo Yi Xuan and Kyra Poh (indoor skydiving)
Best Sports Photo of the Year: Lim Weixiang
Sports Journalist of the Year: Dilenjit Singh (The New Paper)
Best Sports Event of the Year (International): Fina Swimming World Cup Singapore 2018 Presented by Yakult
Best Sports Event of the Year (Local): M1 Asian Netball Championship 2018
