AS humble as ever, Launceston's Stawell Gift winner Andrew Robinson sees his latest honour as further acknowledgment that he's "on the right track" when it comes to his running.
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The 20-year-old from Riverside was on the weekend named the Australian Athletic Confederation's athlete of the year for the 2012-13 season, one step up from his sprinter of the year title in 2011-12.
The award is for his performance over the season. This includes his victories at Stawell over Easter and in the Devonport Gift, as well as finishing runner-up in the Latrobe Gift.
He also won several smaller gifts and 400-metre races in Tasmania, and made finals in Victoria at Keilor and Ballarat.
"It is humbling to receive this award, as there are a lot of quality athletes going around, yet I have been able to win the pinnacle of pro- running, which is what this award is based on," Robinson said.
"But there's also the consistency, effort and dedication which have been recognised, and it is real honour to see that people can see how dedicated I am to the sport, and that I'm putting in the effort and trying to be consistent with my performances.
"These awards aren't why I do the sport, but it's nice to get that reinforced message that I'm on the right track."
To make a special moment even sweeter, Robinson's Southern-based coach Ray Quarrell, who lost everything in the Dunalley bushfires earlier in the year, was named coach of the year.
"He experienced some incredible highs and some extreme lows in life and in our sport in the last season," Robinson said.
"So for people to recognise what he's contributed to Tasmanian athletics for more than 40 years, and the top-quality athletes he's produced, is great."
Robinson in October will move to Hobart to be closer to his coach and teammates in the lead-up to this year's Christmas Carnivals.
"At times it has been tough doing it (being coached) by distance, so this will make it easier for me and it will be nice to be around the group and for me to be able to pass on what I have gained from Stawell, as we're a young group," he said.
Hobart's Jacqui Dalwood tripled the success for Tasmania after being named the distance athlete of the year.
