Stephanie Kershaw has entered the final countdown to Olympics selection, adamant the turbulent times the Hockeyroos faced were behind them.
Townsville’s Hockeyroo is within striking distance of her maiden international showcase in Tokyo, having been deprived in years gone by through injury.
Bit by bit the 26-year-old has clawed her way back to full flight, and will get her last chance to impress next week when the Australian side take on New Zealand away for the Trans-Tasman Series.
One month in and Kate Shimmin has seamlessly adjusted to life as a Sunshine Coast Lightning athlete, embracing the people, facilities and, of course, the new locale.
The defender has already shown leadership attributes while adjusting to the dynamic of the new group and has proven to be a solid addition to Lightning’s 2021 squad.
“What I’m loving about Lightning is the level of professionalism that this team has,” she said.
“The girls are striving to be better every day, not just on the court but off the court as well – it’s an empowering environment to be around.
“I am so lucky to be here and can’t wait to see what this team can do in 2021.”
The sea change is also suiting Shimmin, keeping her grounded in between the demanding pre-season training sessions.
In a fierce tussle between Australia's Olympic team and rising Podium Potential Academy stars, Sutherland Shire Olympian Ashlee Ankudinoff and teammate Alexandra Manly claimed the honours in the 2021 AusCycling Madison National Championships held at the Adelaide Super-Drome on Saturday 27 February.
Tokyo Olympic hopefuls and 2019 World Championships bronze medallists Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy completed a victorious comeback to competitive action in the second leg of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour at the Glenelg Beach Open on Sunday.
Artacho Del Solar and Clancy took the title in straight sets with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) win over Stefanie Fejes and Becchara Palmer.
Competing for the first time after a 14-month hiatus due to injuries and a COVID-forced break in the beach volleyball calendar, Artacho Del Solar and Clancy didn’t drop a single set on their way to the gold medal, winning all of their five matches in the Women’s Division 1.
For Australian snowboarder Michaela Davis-Meehan, four months of lockdown and missing the Australian season is not the perfect preparation for the 2021 Freeride World Tour. However, typically for Michaela, she is taking it all in her stride, is raring to go and after finishing second on the world rankings last year, she is hungry for the World Title.
THREE months out of the game has done little to derail Stephanie Kershaw’s ambitions for Olympic gold.
If anything it has only made her drive more palpable.
The Townsville hockey star was finally able to resume training with the Hockeyroos and the competitive edge that has them steeled for a shot at Tokyo glory was still there.
It never stopped, Kershaw said, as the prized goal continued to burn in each players mind.
Given the squad are based in Perth, the national sides have been able to operate under different COVID-19 guidelines than the rest of the country. While Queensland will have to wait until July to resume contact sport, Kershaw and her teammates have just begun that phase after two weeks of largely fitness and skills testing.
A TWO-time Olympian has dropped a bombshell by announcing her retirement from international cycling effective immediately.
Tasmanian two-wheeled rocket Amy Cure — who was already selected in the track team to compete at the postponed Tokyo Games — revealed the COVID-19 pandemic led to her decision.
It brings to an end a 12-year career for her country at the highest level.
She burst onto the scene as a junior when she claimed four under-19 world titles across 2009 and 2010, including setting a world record in the individual pursuit.
INTERNATIONAL hockey may be off the agenda for the foreseeable future, but a return to club roots could be on the cards for Townsville ace Stephanie Kershaw.
The Hockeyroo, now based in Perth with the national set up, had endured a tumultuous run with ACL injuries — a period which finally ended when she donned the green and gold in the FIH League this year.
She had built momentum, trusted the knee that had previously plagued her, and appeared on course for a maiden Olympic Games.
But with the Tokyo showcase postponed until 2021, and the Australian Hockey One competition following suit, competitive outlets are scarce for the time being.
However there is still hope for regional sport to return as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to dwindle.
Lausanne, Switzerland, April 14, 2020 - Mariafe Artacho del Solar speaks about her journey, battling injury to World Championship bronze, why the Olympic postponement will only make her team stronger and why Australia are one of the most consistent teams on tour.
Following on from our three part series with the Canadian world champions Melissa Humana-Paredes, Sarah Pavan and their coach Scott Davenport, we speak with the Australian pairing of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy and their head coach Kirk Pitman.
Mariafe, aka Mfe, is known as one of smiliest and friendliest characters on tour. The 26-year-old, who is of Peruvian descent, prides herself on being a ‘caring and passionate person’ but also posseses a ‘fighting spirit’ that stems from her South American roots.
Lausanne, Switzerland, May 3, 2020 – Five years is a long time in beach volleyball, but Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar made it seem like no time had passed once they reunited at the start of 2018.
The Australian duo have enjoyed the past three years, winning six FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour golds, bronze at the Hamburg 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships and Hamburg 2018 FIVB World Tour Finals, two Asian Championships and silver when beach volleyball made its debut at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Cycling star Amy Cure is making the most of time off the bike after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics .
The 27-year-old was selected in the Australian Cycling Team for the track racing schedule at the 2020 Olympic Games, but coronavirus preventative measures across the world saw the event get pushed back until 2021.
The Australian team was announced just weeks prior to the official postponement of the Olympics and the team was still preparing to go.
Cure said the news of the postponement hit hard, but she has remained focused on what she needs to do to keep the wheels ticking over.
Lausanne, Switzerland, April 14, 2020 - Mariafe Artacho del Solar speaks about her journey, battling injury to World Championship bronze, why the Olympic postponement will only make her team stronger and why Australia are one of the most consistent teams on tour.
Following on from our three part series with the Canadian world champions Melissa Humana-Paredes, Sarah Pavan and their coach Scott Davenport, we speak with the Australian pairing of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy and their head coach Kirk Pitman.
Mariafe, aka Mfe, is known as one of smiliest and friendliest characters on tour. The 26-year-old, who is of Peruvian descent, prides herself on being a ‘caring and passionate person’ but also posseses a ‘fighting spirit’ that stems from her South American roots
STAR Bathurst triathlete Tamsyn Moana-Veale had initially though March would be all about chasing valuable Olympic qualification points, but that is not longer on her mind.
Now she just wants to race again.
Triathlon is one of the multitude of sports that has been forced into a shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the Australian talents who had hoped to attend the Olympic Games later this year now have to wait until 2021.
WHEN it comes to realising her Olympic dream, Stephanie Kershaw is luckless.
Ever since she was a young, rising hockey star the Townsville product has envisioned the opportunity to challenge for a gold medal — and Tokyo was her latest fuel for motivation.
An ACL injury deprived her of any opportunity to play with the Hockeyroos in Brazil, and now coronavirus threatens to prevent her second bid.
Four years after seeing their Olympic dreams come crashing down to earth in Rio de Janeiro, Georgia Baker and Amy Cure are delighted with an opportunity to make them come true on the other side of the Pacific.
The Tasmanian duo have both been named on the Australian track cycling team to contest this year's Games in Tokyo.
IT WAS a dream return to the turf for Stephanie Kershaw. Now she is intent on building upon her strong showing to secure a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
The Hockeyroo was brought straight back into the green and gold line up after recovering from a devastating ACL injury.
She took it as a comforting sign of faith from her coaches, given she had no playing time under her belt prior to their opening 2020 FIH League game with Belgium last month.
WA's Lauren Reynolds has boosted her chances of making a third Olympic Games by making the finals at the opening two rounds of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Shepparton.
The back to back opening rounds in Shepparton provided the perfect launching pad for the 2020 season, where Reynolds hopes to be selected in the Australian Team for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The London and Rio Olympian finished fifth in round one on Saturday in a strong showing, with fellow Australia Saya Sakakibara in second. Having breezed through the rounds on Sunday, Reynolds again found herself in the final with a podium in grasp before being caught up in a crash, though still finishing sixth.
SHE was looking for a "strong hit out" and that is exactly what Tamsyn Moana-Veale got in the third round of the 2019-20 2XU Triathlon Series.
The star Bathurst triathlete, who currently holds an International Triathlon Union world ranking of 51, is using the six-round series based in Victoria as part of her preparation for bigger challenges which lie ahead in 2020.
With the support of her new team-mates, England's newest Rose, Kate Shimmin, is loving every moment in training camp and has hailed the character of the group as they prepare for the Vitality Nations Cup.
Shimmin's journey to running out for the Roses in Cape Town started, and has been honed, on the other side of the world. The defender, who is eligible for England through dual citizenship, is from South Australia and grew up in the Northern Suburbs of Adelaide.
Mariafe Artacho del Solar does not need to look far for Olympic inspiration when she wakes up each morning.
The SA-based beach volleyball gun, half of Australia’s world No. 5 pairing alongside Taliqua Clancy, has a printout of a gold medal hanging beside her bed.
As the countdown to the Tokyo Games reached 200 days this week, del Solar said the picture kept her focused on the ultimate goal after a testing six months.
“Every time I wake up, that medal is hanging right in front of me,” del Solar, 26, said.
“I’m a sucker for visualisation – I think it’s a powerful thing.
“I visualise ourselves on the podium at the Olympics celebrating and it just gives me goosebumps.
“I live that moment every day and that’s kind of a part of my training.
