Amber is our Sports Star of Year

World Champion rower and Olympian Amber Halliday has been named the Advertiser-Channel 7 Sports Star of the Year for 2007.

Amber and rowing partner Marguerite Houston had an outstanding 2007, winning gold at the World Rowing Championships in Munich by 0.23 seconds, and being named Rowing Australia's women's team of the year.

Amber has earned a place in the 2008 Rowing Australia team, putting her in good stead for selection for the Beijing Olympics.

She was chosen for the Sports Star of the Year award out of a strong field of 10 South Australian nominees, including cyclist Stuart O'Grady, cricketer Karen Rolton and tennis player Lleyton Hewitt.

The winner was announced in a prestigious ceremony at the National Wine Centre hosted by Channel 7 sports reader Chris Dittmar.

Amber, a University of Adelaide graduate with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Psychology) and a Bachelor of Media, began rowing as a student at Pembroke School and later joined the Adelaide University Boat Club.

She made her international debut in 1999 and now has four world championship titles to her name. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, despite being injured in a car accident 100 days before the event, Amber and partner Sally Newmarch set a world-best time in their heat before finishing fourth in the final.

Amber is featured on the University of Adelaide's Life Impact website: www.adelaide.edu.au/lifeimpact