Wisil and Schuster named Oceania’s best athletes

Papua New Guinea sprinter Toea Wisil was crowned the best female athlete and Samoan swimmer Brandon Schuster was named best male athlete at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) 2019 Awards.

Held in Qatar, the awards recognise the achievements of the National Olympic Committees, athletes and distinguished members of the Olympic family.

Wisil, dubbed the Pacific sprint queen, is a former Olympian who completed a historic triple gold in the 2019 Pacific Games in the 100m, 200m, and 400m.

The 31-year-old said representing PNG was a privilege.

"There's a sense of overwhelming pride to be recognised as the best female athlete of the Pacific Games," Wisil said.

"I competed in my first Pacific Games in 2007, and to still represent Papua New Guinea and win at a high-level 12 years later is a privilege."

And 2016 Rio Olympian Brandon Schuster holds various Samoan National records in swimming and won two gold medals at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.

Schuster said the award was for the people of Samoa.

"Being a member of the most successful Samoan swimming team at the Pacific Games is one of the crowning achievements of my career," he said.

"To contribute five medals while the games were hosted in my home country makes it that much more special.

"It's an honour that goes beyond me and is for the thousands of people from all over the country."