Lucas nets top prize

By Catherine Best
Updated November 5 2012 - 10:44am, first published February 12 2004 - 12:45pm

BADMINTON star Kellie Lucas was last night crowned Ballarat's sportswoman of the year for the fourth time in her sporting career.
Ms Lucas, 25, received the award in front of about 200 hundred people at the Sportsmen's Association of Australia Ballarat Branch's gala dinner.
Runners up were fellow Badminton player, Erin Carroll, 17, and 21-year-old middle-distance runner Victoria Mitchell.
The award was Ms Lucas' fourth sportswoman of the year title in eight years, having first claimed the honour in 1996.
"It's awesome," a surprised Ms Lucas said of the win.
"I honestly thought Victoria Mitchell would (win), her results sound pretty good."
Ms Lucas started playing Badminton at age 12 and has a string of to credits to her name, including a bronze medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and wins at the last year's Fiji and New Caledonian opens.
Her next challenge is the Athens olympics and deciding whether to travel to Europe for the qualifiers or invest her energy in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Money is all that's standing in her way.
"I probably will try out for the Olympics because I'd rather go and give it a shot and then I've got no regrets," she said.
"I've been to the Olympics before and it was just the best experience of my life, if I had the chance again I'd do it for sure."
Other winners at last nights event, held at the Bell Tower Inn, include high jumper Lauren Ford, 15, who won Sportsgirl of the Year; table tennis player Sally Spence, 26, who won the Blackbourn Encouragement Award and Ballarat Netball Association
treasurer Maurita Lenaghan who won the Sports Administrator of the year.
SAA president Anne Jones said Ballarat had a strong record for producing top sportswomen. "It's always a difficult choice because in Ballarat there are lots of opportunities for the girls to do their best in the sport," she said.
Guest speaker at the dinner was Moonee Valley Race Club Committee Member Kerrie Gillespie, who spoke about the evolution of horse racing, from a male dominated "non lady-like activity to a more equal opportunity sport.

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