Excellent winner (8)
I believe the answer is:
champion
This clue is a double definition.
'excellent' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'winner' is the second definition.
(I know that champion is a type of winner)
(Other definitions for champion that I've seen before include "Guard" , "Gold medallist" , "Successful contender" , "Tournament winner" , "hero" .)