By David Gold

Liesl Tesch_and_Daniel_Fitzgibbon_with_their_Bronze_medals_in_WeymouthNovember 2 - Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch have been named Sailor of the Year with a Disability at the Yachting Australia Awards, to continue a year of amazing success after they began sailing together in January.


The pair won gold at the skud 18 race at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Miami and then claimed another win at the World Cup round at Weymouth.

They also took bronze at the 2011 IFDS World Championships, and are now competing for a place in the Australian Paralympic team.

Fitzgibbon will hope to use the experience of Beijing 2008, where he took a silver medal, in London, and five-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball competitor Tesch also has an abundance of know how of Summer Games.

They beat off fellow skud 18 crew Ame Barnbrook and Lindsay Mason, as well as Special Olympics pair Allister Peek and Alyse Saxby to claim the Yachting Australia Award.

"We're really proud to get this award," said Fitzgibbon.

"We've got the Games coming up soon and we'd love to win gold."

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