Sam Rizzo and Alanna Peart have been named FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport Male and Female ‘Athletes of the Year’ for 2017/2018 at the Ballarat Sportsmen’s Club monthly presentation dinner.

The pair claimed back-to-back titles, capping off a highly successful year with strong performances on the international and national stage throughout the past 12 months.

FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport athlete and Bacchus Marsh Grammar student, Ronan Keleher, has won a Gold medal at the 2018 Oceania Taekwondo Championships Team Selection Tournament.

Team selection for the 2018 Oceania Taekwondo Championships were held in Canberra, ACT, last week and Keleher secured the Gold medal in the Male Kyorugi Black Male 15-17 48/55 classification.

Feduni WestVic Academy of Sport athlete Anna Leighton has been selected to represent Australia in swimming at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
 
The Games are being held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 8 – 21 March next year. Anna will be a part of Team Australia, which will consist of 105 athletes and 35 officials.
 
More to come.

FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport tennis athletes, James O’Sullivan and Ruby Rothman, were acknowledged at a gala awards ceremony at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club’s 2018 Champions’ Dinner in Melbourne last Friday evening.

O’Sullivan, 14, a Ballarat Grammar student, defeated Qwyn Quittner in the final in straight sets winning, 7-6, 6-1 to be crowned Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club’s 2018 Under 16 Boys’ Singles champion.

FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport athlete and Bacchus Marsh Grammar student, Ben De Bortoli, has won a Gold medal at the Oceania Karate Championships.

The 19th Oceania Karate Championships were held in Auckland, New Zealand, last weekend and De Bortoli secured the gold medal in the Male Under 21 -75kg event.

De Bortoli, 18, and studying Year 12 at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, defeated opponents from New Zealand, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Fiji and Nauru on his way to claiming the Gold medal.

Sam Rizzo says he is getting back to reality very slowly as the excitement from his first Commonwealth Games experience is yet to wear off.    

The 17-year-old para-athlete arrived in Buninyong in the early hours of Tuesday morning and was back at school by Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article on the Ballarat Courier website & watch an interview with Sam.

Buninyong’s wheelchair athlete Sam Rizzo took centre stage at the Carrara Stadium track as he competed in a Commonwealth Games final on Tuesday night.

The 17-year-old appeared composed ahead of his biggest event yet, the men’s T54 1500m final, and remained close to the middle of the pack for most of the race.

Rizzo finished sixth with a time of 3:14.16 minutes.

Click here to read the rest of the article, and watch the race, on the Ballarat Courier website

Buninyong’s wheelchair track star Sam Rizzo has qualified for the Commonwealth Games Men’s T54 1500m final. 

The 17-year-old finished fourth in heat one with a time of 3:12.91, with fellow Australian Jake Lappin in first spot setting a Games record of 3:11.72.

Click here to read the rest of the article on the Ballarat Courier website