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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-06 Daily Xml
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OLYMPIC GAMES

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:19): My question is to the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Can the minister inform the house about the performance of South Australian athletes at the 2012 London Olympic Games?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:19): Certainly we spent a bit of time—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley, remove yourself from the chamber for the rest of question time.

The honourable member for Unley having withdrawn from the chamber.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: You can go shopping with the member for Davenport. Ma'am.

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: We spent a bit of time talking about this this morning, but it happens only once every four years and the results of the South Australian athletes have been truly outstanding, and I think it is worth remembering that. Firstly, I will just take a moment to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of our very own Matthew Cowdrey at the Paralympics who early this morning became Australia's best ever Paralympian—the most successful ever Paralympian.

He won his 11th gold medal in the pool this morning, making him, as I just said, our most successful Paralympian ever. He has won three gold medals in London so far (with the three he won in Athens and five in Beijing) and he still has two more races to go. He has his eyes on another two events, as I said, in London later this week.

I had the privilege of watching Matthew compete last week and I saw him win a gold medal. His outstanding efforts in the pool mirror the strong performances of South Australian athletes at the recent London Olympics. Out of a total of 410 athletes in the Australian Olympic team, South Australia had 39 representatives across 17 sports.

Overall, Australia is placed 10th on the medal tally with a total of 35 medals—seven gold, 16 silver and 12 bronze—and a total of 92 medallists. South Australian athletes contributed to eight of those medals, with one gold, two silver and five bronze involving 12 athletes across eight events. South Australia had 23 athletes making their Olympic debut in London, with five of these debutantes returning home with medals—an outstanding effort.

I also note that seven of South Australia's athletes were originally identified and developed through the South Australian Sports Institute's Talent Search and Talent Identification programs. South Australia's most successful competitor at the London Olympics, Anna Meares, claimed a bronze medal in the women's team sprint, finished fifth overall in the kierin, before claiming Australia's only gold medal in track cycling in the women's sprint.

As a result of her success in London, I am advised that Ms Meares has now become the most successful female track cyclist of all time. There were further South Australian successes in track cycling with local riders Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis and Glenn O'Shea being members of the men's team pursuit combination that returned home with a silver medal. Other South Australian success at the velodrome included Annette Edmondson claiming a bronze medal in the six event women's omnium competition.

BMX cycling saw world champion Sam Willoughby collect a silver medal and Australia's first ever Olympic medal in the sport. Rowers Chris Morgan and James McRae finished strongly to win a bronze medal in the men's quad scull. In swimming, Hayden Stoeckel claimed bronze as the backstroke member of the four by 100 medley relay. In women's basketball, Laura Hodges, Abby Bishop and Jenni Screen were members of the Opals team that secured the bronze medal.

I also give special mention to boxer Johan Linde, who works for the Department of Treasury and Finance (yet to be a sparring partner of the Treasurer; I think he will avoid that). He reached the round of 16 in the super heavyweight division. The London Olympics was Mr Linde's first major international competition, and I am sure that he has a bright future in the sport and I wish him every success.

In addition, numerous South Australian coaches also contributed to Australia's performance. South Australians can be proud of the performances of our athletes and coaches representing Australia at the 2012 London Olympic Games. The assistance provided by the South Australian Sports Institute and relevant sporting organisations is acknowledged. The family, friends and supporters who helped our athletes reach their goals and fulfil their dreams must also be acknowledged and appreciated. It would not be possible without them.

While the next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is in another four years, our focus now turns towards the 2012 London Paralympic Games due to finish shortly on 9 September. The Australian Paralympic team is represented by 14 South Australian athletes. I am sure that I can speak on behalf of all members here today in wishing our Paralympians every success in the remaining days of the London Paralympic Games.

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