Townsville Grammar School strikes gold with trio of Australian representatives
Meet the three Australian representative stars in the making who walked the halls of Townsville Grammar School in 2023, and find out where they’re heading next year.
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It’s special enough for a school to have one student represent their country on the world stage, but this year could be Townsville Grammar School’s most talented cohort in recent memory with three students representing Australia in 2023.
Year 12 students Sasha-May Flegler (netball) and Alexandra Holt (aquathlon) are both on the verge of graduating while Julia Fulton (softball) is in year 11.
But before Fulton finished her schooling for the year, the talented pitcher is off to a small Pacific Island as part of the qualification process for the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup.
Her World Cup campaign begins in American Samoa this weekend when the Australia take on New Zealand and American Samoa in the Oceania Qualifiers.
Fulton was selected for Australia after an impressive showing with Queensland at the National Championships, and also made the under-19 Queensland Schoolgirls squad and Australian All Star team.
With baseball/softball recently announced as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Fulton’s dream is to one day claim a gold medal for Australia.
Holt competed at the World Aquathon Championships in Ibiza, Spain, but her path to representing Australia admittedly came as more of a surprise
“My mum got me into triathlons and I’ve been doing them from a young age but I guess you could say I was never really that good up until this year,” Holt said.
“Last year I got a coach, Brendan (Cochrane), when I moved here for school and he’s helped me immensely. He’s just been such a great role model for me and really got me into the sport more and has helped me with the one percenters to get me better.
“I came from Charters Towers and there’s not much opportunity out there. Coming here really helped me open my eyes to what sports are available and gave me a step forward into triathlon.”
Holt’s fourth place at the Townsville Triathlon Festival catapulted her into the frame for national selection which was cemented with solid results at the state and national championships.
She hasn’t locked in her plans for 2024 but is looking at pursuing a degree in physiotherapy or sports science either at JCU or in Brisbane.
Flegler represented Australia in fast5 netball at the Commonwealth Youth Games, and said moving to Townsville Grammar had fast-tracked her development.
“I came from a small town (Tully) and I think you just naturally knew how to catch and pass but all my netball has been here,” Flegler said.
“The coaches I’ve had here are great and it’s been a good environment to learn in.”
Flegler is planning to move to Brisbane next year to continue her netball development while studying at university.
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