Fierce, fast and fantastic: The Illawarra’s five top athletes of 2021
The Illawarra is one of Australia’s great hotbeds of sporting prowess and there have been a plethora of individuals who have risen above the pack in 2021.
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The Illawarra is one of Australia’s great hotbeds of sporting prowess and there have been a plethora of individuals who have risen above the pack in 2021.
Here are the Illawarra’s five standout athletes from the last 12 months.
5. Tariq Sims (rugby league)
Tariq Sims is one of only a handful of Dragons to come out of 2021 with any credit – this thanks in large part to his crucial role in NSW’s State of Origin triumph.
The Gerringong giant was immense through the middle and even set up a stunning try for winger Brian To’o in Game 1.
Despite being a key member of the Red V pack since 2016, Sims position beyond 2022 is uncertain.
4. Jessica Hull (running)
Jessica Hull had an exceptional year centred around the Tokyo Olympics
The Albion Park runner qualified for the final of the 1500m event by setting an Australian record time of 3:58.81 in the semi-final.
In the final, Hull finished 11th with a time of 4:02.63 behind Kenyan Faith Kipyegon who won gold with an Olympic record time of 3:53:11.
3. Adam Zampa (cricket)
Adam Zampa was one of the stars who led Australia to unexpected glory at this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai.
The Warilla spin whiz bagged 13 wickets in the tournament including the poll of opener Martin Guptill in the final.
Across seven matches Zampa went for a miserly 5.81 runs an over and in Australia’s rout over Bangladesh he snared a tournament-best 5/19.
Currently, Zampa is in the middle of another productive Big Bash campaign with the Melbourne Stars.
2. Alex Volkanovski (mixed martial arts)
Alex “The Great” Volkanovski had a mammoth year, fighting off Covid before holding on to his UFC featherweight title.
The Warilla fighter took on rival Brian Ortega in September, beating him via a unanimous decision to record his 20th straight win in the octagon.
The title defence secures Volkanovski’s legacy as one of the sport’s superstars.
1. Emma McKeon (swimming)
In an Olympic year, the Illawarra’s number one athlete has to be Emma McKeon.
The Wollongong wonder brought home five medals from Tokyo including four gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay (in world record time), 100m freestyle (in Olympic record time), 50m freestyle (in Olympic record time) and the 4x100m medley relay (in Olympic record time).
McKeon’s four golds, along with her gold medal from Rio de Janeiro, takes her level with Ian Thorpe as the Australian with the most Olympic gold medals, while she now has the most medals overall with a haul of 11 (five gold, two silver and three bronze) across the two Olympics.
The swimming sensation also dominated at this year’s World Cup, scoring first over the four-stop event, bagging 14 medals including 10 golds, three silver and a bronze.
McKeon contracted Covid recently, however, she intends on being a frightening force at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
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