Meares, Ms Anna

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (12:39): I move:

That this house congratulates and recognises the achievements of Anna Meares as the most successful female track cyclist of all time.

The state government congratulates world champion cyclist Anna Meares on her incredible achievements in cycling and on rewriting history by becoming the most successful female track cyclist of all time. Anna is one of Australia’s most successful athletes and track cyclists and is the first Australian woman to win an Olympic track cycling title.

On Sunday 22 February 2015, the then 31-year-old Australian won an historic 11^th rainbow jersey in the keirin at the Track Cycling World Championships in Paris, at France’s new national velodrome. When she arrived at the Track Cycling World Championships in Paris, France, Anna was on par with French cyclist, Felicia Ballanger, each with 10 world senior track titles. Anna was selected for four events at the world championships—team sprint, 500-metre time trial, keirin and sprint—which is an extremely challenging program for any rider.

In Paris, Anna competed in her four events, with her final event proving to be the charm. Having claimed bronze in the team sprint and silver in the 500-metre time trial at the start of the competition, she went on to a convincing victory in the keirin to claim her 11^th world title. In her last race of the championships, Anna beautifully demonstrated a perfect race in the keirin final and made history as the most successful female track cyclist.

Having won 27 world championship medals over the years, including 11 gold medals, Anna claimed her first gold as a junior in 2001 and her first senior title in 2004, both in her favourite event, the 500-metre time trial. She was the first woman to ride a sub 34-second time in the 500-metre time trial and then broke her own record by becoming the first woman to ride the 500-metre time trial in under 33 seconds.

Anna Meares’ cycling career has for more than 20 years gone from strength to strength. Anna is the only woman in the world to win medals at the Olympic Games in all four sprint disciplines. She has twice been crowned Australian Cyclist of the Year and is an 11-time world champion across four different events. A five-time Commonwealth Games champion, she was given the honour of being the flag-bearer for the Glasgow 2014 Australian Commonwealth Games team.

At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Anna was named Australian team captain and at the opening ceremony carried the Australian flag. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting athlete to fill the inspirational role of representing Australia on the world stage and leading young athletes into competition. Across four Olympics, Anna has won six medals in individual track cycling events, making her the most successful Australian cyclist of all time:

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, she won gold in the 500-metre time trial and bronze in the sprint.

In 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, after a life-threatening accident seven months earlier that could have ended her career, she won a silver medal in the sprint.

In 2012 at the London Olympics, Anna brought home gold in the sprint and bronze in the team sprint.

This year, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Anna claimed bronze in the women’s keirin.

She has won more Olympic medals than any other Australian cyclist. No other Australian has medalled in individual events in four consecutive Olympic Games. When it comes to determination and commitment to succeed in her goal of being the best, Anna stands head and shoulders above all others.

Following her success at the London Olympics, Anna took a break from cycling to reassess her future in international cycling competitions. Thankfully for Australia, the decision was to continue, and she went on to win gold and silver in her comeback year at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. Through her performance on the track in Rio, she became the first female to win a medal in every track sprint event at the Olympic Games and the only athlete to win a medal in four consecutive Olympic Games. Hers is a stunning achievement, and we congratulate Anna on her incredible success, not just in Rio but across four Olympics.

In a long list of awards Anna has received, it is worth highlighting that on Australia Day 2005 Anna was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. In 2011, she was awarded the Australian Institute of Sport's Athlete of the Year Award and Female Athlete of the Year in 2014. She has also been named The Advertiser and Channel 7 Sports Star of the Year four times.

South Australia has proudly embraced Anna as one of its own after she moved here in 2004. In 2012, the state opened the Anna Meares Bike Path in Adelaide to honour her even then impressive achievements. Anna was born in Queensland, and this year the Queensland government announced that it will honour Anna's incredible athletic legacy by naming the velodrome built for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the Anna Meares Velodrome. Anna officially opened the velodrome, located at the Chandler Sleeman Sports Complex, on 12 November.

Anna Meares is one of Australia's favourite sporting heroes and one of the most talented athletes in the world. In her cycling career, she has achieved consistent excellence and incredible longevity. Anna's ability and determination are reflected in her unparalleled records in the velodrome. While her athletic skills, strength and commitment are exceptional, it is Anna's character that has won her legions of fans across the globe.

Anna is a remarkable and inspirational person outside her sport in her attitude, her spirit and her achievements. She is also an accomplished author and has penned her own autobiography, The Anna Meares story: the fighting spirit of a champion. She is an engaging and inspirational speaker, having given numerous talks about sportsmanship, success and the power of the mind over body. Anna says:

Success is not about staying undefeated, it's about how you handle the defeats—that's what makes a true champion on the track and off it.

She gives her time in the wider community through serving as an ambassador for the Little Heroes Foundation for children with serious illnesses and helps to raise funds and awareness of the charity and to encourage and inspire children and their families who are facing their greatest personal test. Anna is also an ambassador for the national Breast Cancer Foundation, the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Santos Tour Down Under, amongst many others.

The incredible courage she demonstrated in the period after the serious accident she suffered seven months before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when she fought so hard to rehabilitate herself physically and mentally to be able to compete at the highest level, was nothing short of remarkable. After seven months of determined and painful efforts to recover from a serious back injury, she was rewarded with a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Anna has been a true example of inspiration. In frank and open discussions about her feelings about the pressure she has experienced as a result of her own level of high achievement, and about how she faces vulnerability in competing at the highest level on the world stage with the eyes of the nation and the world's media upon her, she is generous and shows us that even the world's best have times when confidence can falter.

Anna's grace, integrity, determination, resilience and fighting spirit are everything admirable that we as Australians wish to see in our heroes. When we think of our heroes, we remember those who inspired us with their integrity and who had the courage not to accept defeat. Anna is a woman who has shown us through her incredible achievements, often in very trying conditions, that she expects the very best of herself.

On Sunday 16 October 2016, Anna Meares, legend of Australian sport, whose name and legacy will long be remembered around the world as one of Australian cycling's greatest athletes, announced her retirement from the sport. Her many achievements have garnered worldwide admiration and she is now a vital part of our nation's collective sporting history.

It is with the greatest of pleasure that we follow Anna as she pursues her newest challenge, and the state government, along with South Australians, look forward to following Anna Meares' continued success. On behalf of South Australians, it is with great pride that we thank her for her great contribution to Australian sport and cycling and congratulate her on being the world's most successful female track cyclist. We wish Anna our very best as she pursues new opportunities beyond her achievements as one of our most decorated and loved athletes.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:49): I, too, rise to support the motion. I have been absolutely honoured to meet Anna Meares on a number of occasions. In my role as shadow minister for sport, I am privileged to go along to many of the great sporting events and dinners in South Australia to celebrate the great achievements of some of our decorated sports stars. Those dinners bring together the outstanding success of all athletes in Australia—Commonwealth and Olympic games champions, world champions, state champions and Australian champions.

This motion is about celebrating one of the true legends of sport in the world—Anna Meares OAM. She has had an outstanding career, and her no-frills attitude to success is truly an exceptional achievement. She is a Queenslander, but we South Australians consider her as one of us. She widely acknowledges that South Australia is now her home. It is indeed recognised that she is one of the greatest female cyclists ever to walk on the planet. I think that is a lot for others to strive to achieve. Anna has said, 'I've lost more races than I've won. You cannot have nor appreciate success without defeat,' and I really think that sums up Anna: she is humble, she is professional and she is a great person.

To have sat down and had a conversation with her was a true privilege. That conversation showed me the type of person she is and the reason she is a successful superstar on the track. The Anna Meares Velodrome, which has just been built on the Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, recognises her achievements and is a small testament to what she has contributed to cycling not only as a champion but also as a mentor and a great South Australian. Young cyclists and sportspeople—not just girls and women—and all sporting stars look up to her and acknowledge her great achievements.

She is a great and wonderful athlete, and also a great role model and an inspiring person, and talking to her reveals her calm nature. I have spoken to her during the off season and during event training, and you can always see a sparkle in her eye when she is getting ready for competition, but she still has a sparkle in her eye during the off season. She also has the ability to turn off and use her time very wisely when she is either getting ready or in a period of rest or rehabilitation. Her horrific crash, when she fractured vertebrae in her neck, has been very well documented. For her to rehabilitate, get back on the bike, get back out there and show outstanding courage is another great accolade for who she is.

Her story has been documented widely. Anna started cycling at the age of 11. She based her want for cycling and success on Cathy Watt, who competed in 1994 at the Commonwealth Games. Amongst the honours Anna has received are the Centenary Medal, in 2003, and the Order of Australia Medal, in 2005 at the age of 20, which is just outstanding. She was the first woman to win gold for Australia in track cycling at the Olympics, and she was also the winner of the Australian Cyclist of the Year in 2008 and 2012. She was the People's Choice Cyclist of the Year in 2008 and 2011, nudging out Cadel Evans, another great Australian cyclist.

There are many accolades for Anna Meares. She was the AIS Athlete of the Year in 2007 and 2011, the Australian Elite Female Track Cyclist of the Year in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and the list just goes on. That is testament to people recognising her for what she is: a true champion. Anna Meares is one of Australia's favourite sporting heroes.

I go to many schools to give talks on all sorts of issues and subjects, but many times I have spoken to the young about achieving in sport, participating in sport, and the camaraderie and friendships that are created. Not every sporting person or athlete is able to achieve greatness, but our young aspiring sportspeople reflect on who they would like to be most. In many cases, particularly in those school visits, people talk about the great AFL players, the great athletes that we have, but many have come to me and said that Anna Meares is someone they aspire to be.

She came from a normal uninfluenced background and everything she has done was done through sheer determination and hard work. What she has achieved is through want; it is through having good people around. At present, her former coach Gary West is, sadly, suffering from motor neurone disease. That is a very, very sad state of affairs. It is great to see that Anna Meares, having announced her retirement after the Rio Olympics, is now pursuing betterment for her coach Gary. She is now raising money to advance ways of preventing and curing MND. That is testament to the sort of person she is.

Obviously, she achieved greatness and it was fitting that going into the 2016 Rio Olympics she was recognised by being our opening ceremony flag-bearer. However, she was more than that: she was a great ambassador and a great mentor and a great leader for the team. I have spoken to a number of South Australian Olympians who were over there and they were captured by Anna's professionalism, her inspiring manner in the athletes' village, and the way that she approached her Olympic teammates and the inspiration she gave them.

Much has been said about Anna, but I would like to acknowledge that South Australia has a great champion in Anna Meares. She has retired, but I am sure that her legacy will live on. She will be an inspiration to the young as she is an inspiration to every South Australian. Anna Meares, you are a true champion. I commend this motion to the house.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (12:58): I have said this before, and I have said it to Anna, but I will say it again here on the public record: I would like to thank Anna for her contribution to Australian sport and Australian cycling, but mostly I would like to thank her for being a role model for my children, particularly for my daughter but also for my sons. Her example of hard work and determination to come back from adversity and her mental and physical resilience are outstanding for all of us but particularly for children. I really appreciate her providing that example to my children, who had the great privilege of meeting her. I thank her for it and wish her well in the future.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (12:59): I thank members for their contribution.

Motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 12:59 to 14:00.