Brisbane Olympics 2032: Sunshine Coast’s 25 Olympic stars of the future
The Sunshine Coast region is full of standout sporting talent and as the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games edge closer here are 25 names that could be draped in the green and gold.
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The Sunshine Coast region is full of standout sporting talent and as the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games edge closer our experts have revealed which 25 athletes could be representing Australia on the world stage.
From Noosa to Caloundra, a number of running, swimming, cycling and track and field coaches have identified which superstars will be the ones to keep an eye on.
The list is in no particular order and each player identified has comments from their coach or club personnel.
Sunshine Coast’s ‘Future Olympians’
Taya Clayton
Club/Centre: Noosa Little Athletics Club
Age/Division: U13s
Sport/Event: Athletics
Major Achievements: Taya participated in the Queensland Little Athletics State Championships this year for 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, long jump and triple jump.
Making the finals for her 100m and placing third overall and running an amazing race to come second in the 80m hurdles final.
She is competing at the All Schools Regional comp next week and looking forward to seeing how her times have improved.
“Taya is a sprinter who loves hurdles and jumps,” her parents said.
“Her favourite events are 100m, 80m hurdles, triple jump and long jump.
“Taya is training hard to make it to the 2022 State Competition for Schools, 2022/23 U13 Little Athletics Queensland State Team and to compete at the 2023 National Athletics Championships.
“Her ultimate dream is to run at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.”
Nicholas Carter (aka Nicky around the surf club)
Club/Centre: Alexandra Headland Surf Life Saving Club
Age/Division: U14s
Sport/Event: Surf Lifesaving/Swimming
Major Achievements: Australian Titles 2022 bronze individual board race, silver 13/14 swim team, selected for the Sunshine Coast and Queensland Cyclones development team.
Sunshine Coast Branch winner of all three disciplines, swim, individual board and iron person races.
“I strive to always do my best no matter what the outcome, continuing to look at ways to learn and grow in my training,” Carter said.
He said he wanted to inspire younger and other athletes.
Carter said he wanted to perform to the best standard in the hope of continuing to make representative teams for Sunshine Coast and Queensland and aspired to do well at the next Australian Titles 2023.
Sienna Carter
Club/Centre: Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy, TSquad running group and Goodlife swimming squad
Age/Division: U14s
Sport/Event: Triathlons, cross country, 1500m and 3000m track and swimming.
Major Achievements: Selected to compete at the School Sport Australia Cross Country Championships in August this year (in Adelaide) in the 14-year-old girls 4km race.
Selected in the Queensland Triathlon development squad to compete at all school National Triathlon in September 2022 at Hervey Bay.
“I strive in endurance racing as I really enjoy the challenge of pushing myself to see what I am capable of,” Carter said.
“It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to train for endurance racing especially the sport of triathlons were you have to train for the run, swim and the bike leg.
“It’s both physically and mentally hard and you have to dig deep to find the strength to push yourself to keep going which is the challenge I love.
Carter said she hoped to one day represent Australia.
“My aspirations are too keep training and competing in my chosen sports and to see how far my sports can take me,” she said.
“I would one day love to be competing for Australia at the highest level I can as my ultimate goal is to compete at The Commonwealth and Olympic Games, against the best athletes in the world.”
Blake Templeton
Club/Group name: Eumundi Swimming Club
Age/Division: U12s
Sport/Event: Swimming
Major Achievements: QLD Short Course Championships. He competed in 11 events and ended up with 11 top ten results and three silver medals.
Templeton has a work ethic and focus and aspires to one day wear the green and gold.
Millan Power
Club/Centre: Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy
Age/Division: U15s – Junior triathlete
Sport/Event: Triathlon and 3000m
Major Achievements: Australian Track and Field Championships 2022: seventh 3000m, 13th 1500m, Qld All Schools Triathlon Championships 2022: fifth 13-14yr and Qld All Schools Cross-Country Championships 2021: third 13yrs.
“I hope to follow in the footsteps of local legends such as Matt Hauser and my coach Toby Coote to successfully represent Australia in Triathlon,” he said.
“I would also like to run a couple of kilometres with my idol, world record marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge.”
Joshua O’Neill
Club/Centre: Coolum Peregian Swimming Club
Age/Division: 13
Sport/Event: Swimming
What the individual strives in: Technique and Skill Execution
Major achievements: QLD Short Course Championships – one silver, four top 10s (first medal the club has produced at state level since 2008)
O’Neill aims to compete at the 2032 Olympic Games “in my backyard”.
Addison Houslip
Club/Centre: Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy
Age/Division: U13s youth triathlon
Sport/Event: Triathlon and middle distance running
Major Achievements: Qld Cross Country winner 2021 and 2022, female winner Sunshine Coast Marathon 5km event, winner 2021 All Schools Triathlon, fifth place 2022 Queensland Schools Triathlon (the top performing finisher of the younger 2009 age group in the muti-age group event).
“Addie strives to give 100 per cent effort and focus at training, on race day and during recovery,” coach Toby Coote said.
“Getting the right balance of all three is a delicate balance and one she is working hard to understand and execute.”
Houslip said she hoped to compete at the Youth Olympics in 2026 and the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
Amber Livingston
Club/Centre: Caloundra Little Athletics
Age/Division: 9
Sport/Event: Little Athletics
Major Achievements: Four gold medals at the 2022 Little Athletics State Championships which included the 70m, 100m, 200m, long jump and finishing fourth in shot-put.
“I’d like to keep doing athletics and doing well,” she said.
“I hope to be like Charlotte Caslick and play Rugby 7s for Australia and it would be great to make the team for the 2032 Olympics.”
Lucy Candy
Club/Centre: Coolum Peregian Swimming Club
Age/Division: 11
Sport/Event: Swimming and Netball
Major Achievements: QLD Short Course Championships – three top 10s including a fourth place (highest placing for an 11-year-old in the club since 2008).
Candy shows tenacity, consistency and work ethic.
She said she wanted to compete in the 2032 Olympics.
“And make as many Australian teams as possible,” Candy said.
Fletcher Clark
Club/Centre: Caloundra Little Athletics
Age/Division: 10
Sport/Event: Athletics
Major Achievements: 2022 State Championships: gold U10 400m, gold U10 long jump, silver U10 high jump. 2022 Regional Champs: gold U10 60m hurdles, gold U10 200m, gold U10 long jump, silver U10 400m, bronze U10 high jump, 2022 School District Age Champion
Clark said he hoped to compete at the 2032 Olympics for Australia in the Men's Decathlon event.
Grace Brimelow
Club/Centre: Sunshine Coast Tri Academy
Age/Division: 15
Sport/Event: Triathlon, Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics
Major Achievements: Grace won the National PTS 3 category of Triathlon in 2022.
Grace is the State Champion in the Schools Aquathlon for Multiclass 13-19 years; in 2022 Grace won gold medals at Nationals Swimming Championships 50m and 400m Freestyle; and silver in the 100m and 200m Freestyle Multiclass.
Grace made two Open Multiclass finals in the Open National Championships.
Grace is currently State Champion in Cross Country in Multiclass 13-19 years.
“Grace aspires to do compete for Australia in triathlon at the Paralympics and Swimming,” her coach Toby Coote said.
“Grace also aspires to be as successful as possible, subject to the availability, in the events of athletics and cross country.”
Josh Shanahan
Club/Centre name: Race Pace Coaching
Age/Division: 17
Sport/Event: Track and Cross Country
Major Achievements: “The last 12 months have been huge as I ran a time of 8.43 in the under-18s 3000m event at nationals and I also competed in the State Cross Country Championships (fifth), state 1500m (fourth), state 3000m (fourth), Oceanic Championships (fourth) and most recently I had the Queensland 5km Road Championships running a personal best time of 15.12 (fifth),” he said.
Shanahan hoped to compete at the World Juniors, Diamond League and represent Australia on the big stage.
Jean-Claude Inteyiteka
Club/Centre: Race Pace Coaching
Age/Division: U16s
Sport/Event: Track and Field, Cross country
Major Achievements: Fifth place in Nationals for 3000 in Sydney 2022
Coaches said Jean-Claude was constantly aiming for a new personal best and hoped to compete for Burundi and/or Australia in an international race.
Alexa Leary
Club/Centre: Noosa Swim Club, Para Swimming Australia Development Squad
Age: 21
Sport: Swimming
Leary was a champion triathlete competing at an international level for Australia before a serious accident place her in a induced coma.
One year on she has returned to the sporting arena in form of swimming and has aims of now representing Australia at the Paralympics.
“It’s great to be back in the pool, I’m doing mainly freestyle, I can do a little bit of backstroke but my arm isn’t the best so it’s very hard, I can’t do butterfly and I hate breaststroke,” she said.
“I’m going to push myself as I want to win gold for Australia at the Paralympics.”
Sam McClarron
Club/Centre: Race Pace Coaching
Age/Division: U15s
Sport/Event: Triathlon
Major Achievements: Represented South Australia in both track and field 800m and 1500m and Cross Country in 2018 and 2019 winning a gold medal in the South Australia Cross Country Relay Team.
First place 2019 South Australia in State Surf Lifesaving Championships 2km beach run, fourth place 2020 Queensland Athletics State Cross Country, making the Merit Team, second place 2021 Queensland All Schools Cross Country, making the Merit Team.
First place 2021 Sunshine Coast University Athletics Club 3km, first place 2021 Queensland Athletics State Cross Country Relays, Queensland Triathlon State Team member for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 season, Queensland School Sport White Triathlon team member 2022 to compete at the National event.
Third place U15 2022 Queensland Duathlon Championships, second place U16 2022 Queensland Athletics 5km Championships held at the Sunshine Coast Marathon Festival.
McClarron’s coaches said he strived in his commitment and determination and hoped to represent Australia in Triathlon at the Olympics, Triathlon Super League and World Triathlon Races.
Anna Wilkinson
Club/Centre: Maroochy Athletics
Age/Division: 13
Sport/Event: All aspects of Track and field with a strong focus on 100m, 200m and 400m events.
Major Achievements: Earlier this year, Anna competed at the Queensland Athletics Championships, where she placed third in the 100m, second in the 200m and first in 400m.
Two weeks later she then competed at the Queensland Little Athletics State Championships, placing second in the 100m, first in the 200m and first in 400m.
In winning the 400m she managed to break a long standing Maroochy record.
She was part of the U14 girls 4x100m relay team who won bronze and she then backed up to win a national silver medal in the final of the 400m.
Anna would now compete for the Queensland team at the Australian National Track and Field Championships in Sydney.
“I want to keep running and going to Nationals and hopefully one day represent Australia as a sprinter,” she said.
Alastair MacKellar
Club/Centre: Sunshine Coast Cycling Club,Cyclist for Israel Cycling Academy/Premier Tech Teams
Age/Division: 20
Sport/Event: Road cycling
Major Achievements: First stage GP International Torres Vedras, second stage Tour of Portugal, six time Australian Road Champion, two time Oceania Track Champion, four time Podium Australian Road Championships and an Australian Representative at the 2022 Road World Championships in Belgium.
Mackellar strives in cycling, medium mountainous stages, races and being a pivotal role in helping the team get results.
Off the bike he was currently studying a university degree abroad at the Sunshine Coast University.
“I am currently living in Girona, Spain where I ride for a development team for a world tour professional team Israel Premier Tech,” he said.
“My aspiration is to move up from development level to professional in the next two years as well as continuing to grow and excel in the sport gaining more results in races.”
Sophie Burger
Club/Centre: Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy
Age/Division: 17
Sport/Event: Triathlon
Major Achievements: U19 Mooloolaba Standard Distance Champion (Australian Champion), third at the Queensland School Sport State Triathlon, 13th place at the Oceania Junior Triathlon Champs and First place in the 15-19 Years Noosa Triathlon.
Burger’s coaches said she was a very dedicated and consistent performer and she hoped to become a professional triathlete.
Peyton Craig
Club/Centre: University of the Sunshine Coast Athletics Club (USCAC)
Age Group: U18s
Sport: Track and Field
Major 2022 Achievements: Australian Athletics National U20 1500m and 3000m champion; Australian U20 representative at Junior World Athletics as well as competing at the Junior World Triathlon and placing eighth.
“A large goal and aspiration of mine would be to compete at the 2024 Olympics for both athletics and triathlon,” he said.
“I would then like to continue my career on and compete at the home Olympic Games in Brisbane 2032 and win a gold medal.”
Ryan Engle
Club/Centre: University of the Sunshine Coast Athletics Club (USCAC)
Age Group: Under 17 Mens Para T47/F46 (upper left hand deficiency)
Sport: Track and Field
Major 2022 Achievements: 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships, Olympic Park, Sydney, a gold medal in the U17 men's para long jump, a silver medal in the U17 men's para 100m, a silver medal in the U17 men's para 200m, a silver medal in the U17 men’s para discus and he set a new Australian record for U17 men’s para F46 discus 1kg (34.77m) at Olympic Park in Sydney.
Engle said he hoped to represent Australia at the Paralympics in 100m and long jump (T47/F46 specific events para pathway).
Sophia Tagg
Club/Centre: University of the Sunshine Coast Athletics Club (USCAC) and Cotton Tree swim club for swimming
Age: 14
Sport: Track and Field with her main event being the hammer throw and swimming (pool- her events are 50/100/200m fly and 200/400 free) open water Swimming (5km)
Major 2022 Achievements: Bronze medallist in the U16 hammer throw at 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships.
Has won Queensland Athletics and Queensland All Schools State Championships for past three consecutive championships in hammer throw.
Consistently breaks USCAC hammer throw records.
Tagg was selected into the Queensland Athletics Target Talent Program and selected to represent USCAC in the U16 Oceania Teams Challenge.
Tagg made her first national open water 5km qualifying time last October for Australian champs in January this year and current Wide Bay open water 5km champion for her age group.
Tagg did not attend nationals for open water due to a few reasons (Covid-19 regulations and timing) but then qualified for her first Australian Age National Championships in the 400m freestyle in pool swimming, which she attended in Adelaide with goals of adding more events to her schedule for next year.
She said she hoped to one day compete internationally for Australia.
Chanelle Tagg
Club/Centre: Cotton Tree Swim Club and USCAC
Age: 14
Sport: Open-water swim (national level 5km), athletics and volleyball
Major Achievements: Tagg has qualified for the past three years and represented Queensland athletics in hammer throw and she competed up two age groups this year at the Australian track and field championships.
She has consistently medalled at the Queensland State Championships for hammer for the past four championships.
Tagg is second in the region in her age group for open water 5km after last year’s state champs.
She also competed in the USCAC team at Oceania Championships in June in Mackey.
Tagg is focusing on open water swimming for next year and backstroke for the pool swim plus hammer throw and she hopes to represent Australia.
Harrison Weil
Club/Centre: University of the Sunshine Coast Athletics Club (USCAC)
Age Group: U18s
Sport: Track and Field
Major 2022 Achievements: National and Oceania Long Jump Champion, second in Triple Jump and Oceania Championships.
“I hope to compete at all major athletics competitions and hopefully competing for Australia in the Olympics,” Weil said.
Stanley Jarrott
Club name/Centre: Cotton Tree Cyclones Academy Squad
Age: 13
Sport/Event: 800m freestyle, surf race, ocean distance swimming.
Jarrott strives to be the best and was the Australian under-13 champion in the 2km ocean swim, and the Queensland State 12-years 800m freestyle champion.
Cooper Weil
Club/Centre name: University of the Sunshine Coast Athletics Club (USCAC)
Age Group: U15s
Sport: Track and Field
2022 Major Achievements: Fourth at Nationals in 100m hurdles and ninth at nationals for 200m hurdles.
Weil was also selected to represent USCAC in the U16 Oceania Teams Challenge.
Weil said he had aspirations of making it to the international level.
“To just see what I am capable of and if that gets me to the international stage then I would be super proud,” he said.
“Also, I would love to outdo any achievements that my brother Harrison has had.”
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