Robbie Manson
An openly gay Olympic rower from New Zealand, has won an “Athlete of the Year” award from the Association of National Olympic Committees in Prague.
Manson was the male winner from Oceania alongside female rugby player and fellow Kiwi Sarah Goss.
Athletes from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe also got top gongs at the Association of National Olympic Committees Awards in Prague.
This year, Manson won two gold medals at international rowing events this year and also set a world record time for solo rowing.
“I’m back into training now for summer races and national champs then working towards world champs next year with big goal of Tokyo 2020,” he told Stuff.co.nz.
Robbie came out in an opinion piece for Outsports in 2014 and competed as an out gay man at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The ANOC presented awards for the best male and female athlete from each continent and the winners were selected by the ANOC jury from a shortlist provided by the National Olympic Committees from each participating country.
