The Invermay bowler shared the state’s athlete of the year award with another female world champion, Huon rower Sarah Hawe.

But an unfortunate clash of dates meant Van Asch was unable to join Hawe at Wednesday’s presentation.

Instead, the 29-year-old triple world champion was at the Australian championships in Merimbula as she seeks to qualify for her first Commonwealth Games.

“I would love to have been there,” Van Asch said.

“It’s a huge honour. I’m a very patriotic Tasmanian so very honoured to take away an award like this.”

In the New Zealand city of Christchurch, Van Asch added triples and fours to her 2012 pairs world title and hopes to use this week’s national titles as the final stepping stone to the Gold Coast.

Having narrowly missed out on national selection four years ago in Glasgow, she said making the team for 2018 would realise a long-held ambition.

“With our sport not being at the Olympics, it’s always been a dream to make a Commonwealth Games. 

“The disappointment from Glasgow has stuck with me.”

Judges of the prestigious annual award were unable to separate Van Asch and Hawe after both conquered their respective sporting worlds this year.

In Sarasota, Florida, Hawe, 30, was a member of the victorious Australian women’s coxless four crew.

The same crew had already won two world cups in an event which will return to the Olympic program in 2020.

Van Asch and Hawe were named joint winners from a top-quality list of finalists that also included Forth’s para athletic gold and silver medallist Deon Kenzie, Launceston’s swimming world championship bronze medallist Ariarne Titmus, Launceston’s Tour Down Under-winning cyclist Richie Porte and Amy Cure, of West Pine, who became the first Australian track cyclist to medal in six different world championship events.

Van Asch and Hawe join an illustrious list of winners which already included Porte and Cure as well as another cyclist Matthew Goss, boxer Daniel Geale and hockey star Eddie Ockenden.

On a momentous day for Tasmanian sport, the state also recognised two of its most prolific athletes.

Australian cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer and three-time World Cup winner Ricky Ponting joined five-time Olympic rower Anthony Edwards to be inducted into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame.

Ponting retired from Test cricket five years ago shortly after Edwards ended his international rowing career.