Paralympic champion and three-time gold medallist Dylan Alcott continued his year of success at the Australian Paralympic Awards on Thursday night.
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Alcott was crowned Australian Paralympian and Male Paralympian of the Year for his two gold medals in wheelchair tennis at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Alcott added the Paralympic award to the Newcombe Medal which is given to Australia's most outstanding elite tennis player and ambassador for the sport.
A man of many talents, Alcott has won also gold in wheelchair basketball with the Australian men's team in 2012 in addition to his dual golds for wheelchair tennis.
Australian Paralympic Committee CEO Lynne Anderson said the awards were not only a celebration of a successful year but a celebration of the recognition in growth of the Australian Paralympic movement.
"Australia achieved its goal this year of a top five finish at the Paralympic Games, and it is entirely because of the incredible athletes and staff on the 2016 Australian Paralympic team," Anderson said.
Swimmer Maddison Elliott – who was Australia's most prolific medallist at the Rio Games with three gold and two silver – took out the Female Paralympian of the Year award.
Paralympic sprint coach Iryna Dvoskina was acknowledged for her efforts being named Coach of the Year after her trio of athletes Scott Reardon, Evan O'Hanlon and Chad Perris delivered a full set of medals in Rio, bringing her Paralympic career total to 29 medals as a coach.
As well as awards for excellence from the Rio Paralympics there were six new inductees into the Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame including the first Indigenous Paralympian Kevin Coombs.
Other inductees were David Hall, Tracey Freeman, Daphne Hilton, Adrienne Smith and Ron Finneran.
Award winners from Australian Paralympic Awards night:
Paralympian of the year – Dylan Alcott (wheelchair tennis)
Male Paralympian of the year – Dylan Alcott (wheelchair tennis)
Female Paralympian of the year – Maddison Elliot (Para-swimming)
Rookie of the year – James Turner (Para-athletics)
Team of the year – Australian Sailing Team
Coach of the year – Iryna Dvoskina (Para-athletics)
Hall of fame inductees – Kevin Coombs (First Indigenous Paralympian), Ron Finneran (first Australian Winter Paralympian), Tracey Freeman (Para-athletics), David Hall (wheelchair tennis), Daphne Hilton (first female Paralympian), Adrienne Smith (Paralympic administrator)
