Best sport profile – broadcast

This award recognises the best example of responsible and well-researched profiling of an individual athlete, team or coach by broadcast media. This can include online audio/visual media, including podcasts.

2021 Winner

Luc Longley: One Giant Leap, Australian Story, ABC TV

Luc Longley was the first Australian to play in the NBA, competing alongside the legendary Michael Jordan in the heyday of the Chicago Bulls.

Their mid-90s three-peat was recently immortalised in Netflix’s docuseries The Last Dance. But despite being the Bulls’ starting centre, Longley was overlooked for an interview. When Australian Story reached out, Longley shared a powerful story, opens in a new tab about how he had fundamentally changed who he was to fit into Jordan’s team and the long and painful process of finding himself again afterwards.

Over a year, producers secured interviews with former Bulls coach Phil Jackson and teammates Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr, culminating in a 30-minute interview with Jordan himself.

Finalists

Head Above Water, McAvoy Media / Amazon Prime Video

Head Above Water is an original 4-part documentary series, opens in a new tab that celebrates Australian swimming through the eyes of reigning champion Kyle Chalmers, two-time Olympian Bronte Campbell, retired Olympic hero Ian Thorpe and aspiring Olympian and global music superstar Cody Simpson.

Working closely with Swimming Australia, McAvoy Media gained unprecedented access into the inner sanctum of Australian Head Coach Rohan Taylor and his entire team – both swimmers and coaches.

Traversing between Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Los Angeles, this production offers an outstanding and rare insight into the world of an Australian Olympic swimmer and the Australian Olympic swimming team.

Making Their Mark, JamTV Australia / Amazon Prime Video

The final episode in the seven-part series Making Their Mark charted the final stages of Richmond Football Club’s, opens in a new tab journey towards the 2020 Premiership.

Through the highs and lows, viewers gain unrivalled access into the club’s locker room, coaches’ rooms, boardroom, training sessions, medical assessments and player’s accommodation in the Gold Coast Hub during a the COVID-marred 2020 AFL season. This episode explored themes of redemption for Richmond after a series of off field incidents had earlier threatened to derail the Tigers chances of a historic third premiership in four seasons.

The Tigers players and coaching staff overcame personal and collective obstacles to triumph in the most spectacular way possible on Grand Final day.

Kai and Saya, Matt Carmichael, Seven Network

The inspirational story of Kai and Saya Sakakibara, opens in a new tab became a centrepiece of the story of Australia's Olympic team at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

This entry starts with the story of Kai fighting back to ride his bike again after an horrific crash left him learning to walk again, through their journey to Saya's Olympic debut, her own heartbreaking crash and finally Kai's vow to become a Paralympian.

Matt Carmichael’s ability to build trust and a connection with the Sakakibara family helped him create deeply personal profiles of these determined athletes.