Rizzo & Peart defend FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport “Athlete of the Year” Titles

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.

Rizzo and Peart were presented with their awards by FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport patron and former Olympic and Commonwealth Games Marathon Champion athlete, Steve Moneghetti OAM.

Rizzo, 17, from Buninyong, represented Australia at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April earlier this year, competing in the para track T54 1500m event where he finished fourth in his heat to qualify for the final.

In the final, he produced a highly competitive and spirited performance, his first in open company at international level, which saw him finish just out of medal contention, placing sixth overall.

In the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, during a qualifying event in Canberra in January, Rizzo recorded a personal best time of 3:08.35. Rizzo’s time is the Australian Under 18 record for the T54 1500m.

Since the Commonwealth Games, Rizzo has showed no signs of slowing down. In May he recorded two impressive victories, claiming the 14km Great Ocean Road Race and Sydney’s Balmoral Burn, respectively.

Meanwhile, Peart, 14, from Ballarat, is currently ranked number 1 in Australia for Race Walking in the Under 16 3km Road Walking classification and ranked number 2 in Australia for Race Walking in the Under 16 3km Track category.

In March, Peart won the Under 15 1500m Walk at the Little Athletics Track & Field Championships in Melbourne, claiming victory for a record 7th consecutive year. Peart has remained undefeated in 1500m Walk from Under 9’s through to Under 15’s.

Earlier this month, Peart, won the Under 16 5km event at the Victorian Road Walking Championship (VRWC) in Melbourne, securing victory in a personal best time of 23:39. Her time is a new VRWC Under 15 record.

Both Rizzo and Peart have been selected by Athletics Australia (AA) in the Under 17 and Under 18 Talent Recognition List as part of AA’s High Performance program.

Corey Saitta, Executive Officer of the WestVic Academy of Sport said, “Our aim at the WestVic Academy of Sport is to maximise Western Victoria’s contribution to Australian world-class performances”.

Saitta, added, “It is no coincidence, nor is it through good fortune, that Sam and Alanna consistently produce high performance. They both have outstanding character and have an unwavering commitment to becoming the best version of themselves as athletes and as young people making their way in the community. They exemplify the values of our organisation in that they are respectful, honest, hard working and they conduct themselves with the utmost integrity and humility all of the time”.