Cochrane's Tristan Walker and the rest of Canada's relay luge team were among the Alberta Sport Award winners recognized by Alberta Sports Connection.

Justin Snith, left, and Tristan Walker at the awards banquet. (Courtesy Alberta Sport Connection)

Walker and teammates Alex Gough, Sam Edney and Justin Snith were named the open sports team of the year for 2018 and were presented the award at this month's Alberta Sport Leadership Conference.

It's a suiting tribute to Canada's luge relay team that won their first Olympic medal in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It was the second of two Olympic medals in that games, marking a major breakthrough for Canada in a sport dominated by European athletes.

It also comes after a season that saw Walker and his doubles partner Justin Snith matched a season-best of fifth in the Luge World Cup.

This is the third time the team has been recognized with this award. They also received it in 2013 and 2014.

The athlete and team awards recognize and celebrate significant achievements, performances and contributions of Alberta’s amateur athletes. Award winners are considered outstanding role models who inspire other Albertans to higher achievements at the recreational or competitive level.

Cochrane area athlete Stefan Daniels was named junior male athlete of the year in 2015 for his accomplishments in para-triathlon/triathlon.

The awards have been presented annually since 2002.