Sport BC has announced the finalist of the 56th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards and included in the list of finalists are two Cycling BC members, Emmy Lan (Comox, BC) for the Junior Female Athlete category and Mel Pemble (Victoria, BC) for the Athlete with a Disability category. The Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport celebrating their achievements in the past 2023 season.
Emmy Lan had another monumental year on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit in 2023, winning all but two of seven races in the series and repeating as the overall U21 Enduro World Series Champion. Mel Pemble repeated as the Women’s C3 Omnium champion at the 2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and won a silver medal in the C3 Women’s Scratch race and a bronze medal in the Time Trial. As if that wasn’t enough, she also won silver in the Time Trial and gold in the Individual Pursuit at the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile in 2023.
Cycling BC sends hearty congratulations and best wishes to Emmy Lan, Mel Pemble, and all the finalists of the 56th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards.
“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a true celebration of sport in our province. The finalists listed below will be honoured at the event and represent exceptional efforts and accomplishments in 2023. We congratulate our finalists and the organizations they represent”, shares Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “We look forward to celebrating as a sector together on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The finalists represent 24 sports from communities all throughout BC demonstrating the collective strength of our province’s sport sector.”
Athlete with a Disability
Yuka Chokyu (Vancouver, BC) – Badminton
Bo Hedges (Wonowon, BC) – Wheelchair Basketball
Mel Pemble (Victoria, BC) – Para Cycling (Track)
Female Coach of the Year
Jane Gumley (Victoria, BC) – Rowing (UVIC)
Sarah Hunter (Surrey, BC) – Wheelchair Tennis
Keri Moffat (Richmond, BC) – Golf
Male Coach of the Year
Dylan Armstrong (Kamloops, BC) – Athletics
Victor Gantsevich (Richmond, BC) – Fencing
Graham Thomas (Calgary, AB) – Ice Hockey (UBC)
High School Female Athlete of the Year
Amelia Kristen (Vancouver, BC) – Athletics (Crofton House)
Keira Pemberton (Langley, BC) – Basketball (Walnut Grove)
Eva Ruse (North Vancouver, BC) – Basketball and Volleyball (Mulgrave)
High School Male Athlete of the Year
Mark Johnson (Vernon, BC) – Football (Vernon Secondary)
Yemane Mulugeta (Surrey, BC) – Athletics (L.A. Matheson)
Nash Semeniuk (Kelowna, BC) – Basketball and Volleyball (Kelowna Secondary)
Junior Female Athlete of the Year
Lauren Kim (Surrey, BC) – Golf
Emmy Lan (Comox, BC) – Cycling
Chloe Primerano (North Vancouver, BC) – Ice Hockey
Junior Male Athlete of the Year
Nicholas Bennett (Parksville, BC) – Para Swimming
Gavin Dodd (Kamloops, BC) – Gymnastics
Tyson Philpot (Delta, BC) – Football
Senior Female Athlete of the Year
Gabby Flynn (Burnaby, BC) – Gymnastics
Megan Kinna (Maple Ridge, BC) – Lacrosse
Camryn Rogers (Richmond, BC) – Athletics
Senior Male Athlete of the Year
Jack Crawford – Alpine Skiing
Dylan French (Richmond, BC) – Fencing
Ethan Katzberg (Nanaimo, BC) – Athletics
Post Secondary Athlete of the Year
Theo Benedet (North Vancouver, BC) – Football (UBC)
Rowan Hamilton (Chilliwack, BC) – Athletics (UBC)
Michael Henman (Victoria, BC) – Soccer (UNBC)
Team of the Year
BC Female U18 Hockey
TWU Spartans Men’s Volleyball
UVIC Vikes Women’s Field Hockey
Master Athlete of the Year
Betty Brussel (New Westminster, BC) – Swimming
Malindi Elmore (Kelowna, BC) – Athletics
Melanie McQuaid (Victoria, BC) – Triathlon
Official of the Year
Shanda Assmus (Vancouver, BC) – Rugby
Melanie Stewart (Port Coquitlam, BC) – Ringette
Trevor Walmsley (Vancouver, BC) – Karate
To purchase tickets for the awards celebration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/sport-bc-33750214235