Leif Selby to be honoured at Hall of Fame
Former world number one Leif Selby has been revealed as the third player to be bestowed Bowls Australia Hall of Fame induction later this year. Former world number one Leif Selby has been revealed as the third player to be bestowed Bowls Australia Hall of Fame induction later this year.
Selby, 45, will be honoured at the national body’s Hall of Fame and Awards Night on October 26, to be staged at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, alongside four other recipients.
Selby is without doubt one of the modern era’s most prolific players, and lays claim to being the only player to ever win the sport’s three world singles crowns, which include the World Bowls Championships singles, World Cup and World Champion of Champion titles.
Debuting in 2007, Selby was Australia’s 125th capped male representative, and enjoyed a distinguished career until 2012, when he finished at the peak of his powers.
Within three years of his maiden cap, Selby had notched up three world singles titles, including the World Champion of Champion trophy in 2008, and back-to-back World Cup crowns in 2009 and 2010, but decided to bow out of international duties following a silver medal in the blue-ribbon singles at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Despite retiring from international competition after the Commonwealth Games, Selby made a stunning come-back after encouragement from the High Performance team and the playing contingent.
He was handed the plum singles role, in which he had enjoyed so much success, at the 2012 World Bowls Championships in Adelaide.
Selby repaid the faith in full, securing one of five gold medals for the Australian contingent in what became the nation’s most successful world championships campaign, and solidified himself as the only person to win all three world singles accolades.
Immediately after his victory, Selby again relinquished his position within the Australian Jackaroos squad and concluded his international career at the height of his power.
Bowls Australia President Nigel Smith said Selby was a thoroughly deserving recipient of Hall of Fame induction.
“Leif Selby has been without question one of the most successful bowlers of the modern era, and his achievements rival that of the very best players of any era and of any nationality,” Smith said.
“He has enjoyed a scintillating career across all levels and deserves to be acknowledged among the sport’s greats in the Hall of Fame.”
On the national stage, Selby has also enjoyed considerable success, particularly in the singles discipline.
He became the first person to secure the nations’ indoor-outdoor double in the same year, winning the Australian Open singles and Australian Indoor Championships both in 2008, and set another record three years later, when he became the Australian Open’s first dual singles winner.
Selby has also been a prominent figure on the NSW state stage, and was Bowls NSW’s Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and received inclusion in their Hall of Fame in 2015.
Selby has enjoyed a rich playing history at Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club, where he has also worked as a junior bowls development officer, in which he guides and mentors the sport’s rising stars.
Selby will be recognised in the “2000-present – Athlete” category of Hall of Fame membership.
Hall of Fame membership is granted every two years, with 48 members already included, and is awarded to both athletes and administrators of the sport.
Bowls Australia congratulates Leif Selby on his forthcoming Hall of Fame induction.
