Short and sweet: Matildas praised, Southern Stars win and Rio Olympic bound stars dive into action
MATILDAS praised, Southern Stars win, divers and triathletes win medals and the Diamonds pick up yet another award. It’s all in this week’s SHORT AND SWEET.
Netball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Netball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THERE’S been wins on the cricket pitch, in the surf, pool and water.
The Matildas have been praised, the Southern Stars have won and the Diamonds have picked up yet another award.
Medals have been won at home and overseas and new teams selected.
And in the surf our young guns have been turning heads.
It’s been a big week for out top female athletes here and overseas.
We take a lot at the latest feats by Australian women in this weeks Short and Sweet.
VILLANI STARS
In a major boost of confidence, Australia have won their warm-up T20 match against the West Indies.
Opener Elyse Villani, 26, was one of the stars for the Southern Stars following Australia’s 43-run win against the West Indies at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday
Villain topscored with 51 off just 42 balls after Australia was sent in to bat.
Captain Meg Lanning (49) also made an impact as Australia reached 3/139 from 20 overs.
In reply, the West Indies were bowled out for 96 with an over remaining.
Leg-spinner Kristen Beams picked up an economical 3/9 from her 3 overs, with Rene Farrell (3/18) also cashing in.
Australia’s World T20 tournament opener is against South Africa on Saturday (AEST).
SURFING’S GENERATION NEXT
The future in Australian surfing — for women at least — is looking very bright.
There have been upsets galore and the women doing most of the damage are young Aussies.
World Tour rookie Keely Andrew and injury replacement Bronte Macaulay have both been turning heads at the Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast.
Both young surfers made it within a smidgen of the quarter-finals but it was their heroics in earlier rounds which turned heads.
Andrew beat six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in their round one match-up which races as the biggest scalp of her fledging career.
And Macaulay was the surfer who knocked Australian world No. 3 Sally Fitzgibbons out of the Roxy Pro in the second round which marked the worst ever result for Fitzgibbons in a world tour event.
GYMNASTS NAMED
Australia has chosen a six-strong team to chase Olympic qualification in women’s artistic gymnastics.
Gymnastics Australia on Tuesday named the athletes to represent Australia at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships and Olympic Test Event next month with Georgia-Rose Brown (Vic), Emily Little (WA), Larrissa Miller (Vic), Rianna Mizzen (Qld), Emma Jane Nedov (NSW) and Emily Whitehead (Vic) making the cut.
Alexandra Eade (Vic) and Kiara Munteanu were named as non-travelling reserve.
The team will contest the Pacific Rim championships in the USA before heading to Rio for the Olympic Test Event which is the final qualification competition for Rio.
Australia will compete against Brazil, France, Belgium, Germany, Romania, South Korea
and Switzerland in Rio, with the team needing to finish in the top four of eight
competing teams to qualify a team for the main event in August.
PRIME MINISTERS PRAISE
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told the Matildas the “whole nation will be with you’’ at the Rio Olympics during an official welcome home for the team.
The PM had nothing but praise for the Australian side which earned an Olympic spot at the first Games since 2004.
You inspire young people boys and girls — but especially girls — in having a go
“It’s not just in football ... you are examples of role models of success and effort and hard work,’’ Turnbull told the Matildas, now considered medal contenders for Australia at the Rio Olympics.
“You inspire young people boys and girls — but especially girls — in having a go.
“You’re making Australians and Australia stronger and more successful. More enterprising.
“We are so proud of you. And Australia is proud of you. The whole nation will be with you [at the Rio Games].”
DIAMONDS SHINE AGAIN
The accolades just keep coming for the Australian Diamonds.
The winners of the world championships in Sydney last year, the team has now been named Favourite Sports Team (Australia/New Zealand) at the global Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Show in Los Angeles.
The award is voted by Nickelodeon viewers across Australia and New Zealand with the Diamonds beating off top teams including the Wallabies, All Blacks and Silver Ferns.
“The team prides itself on being role-models for our young fans on and off the netball court,’’ said coach Lisa Alexander.
“Our community roots are important to us, you’ll see our players regularly conducting netball clinics and connecting with fans on social media.
“This award is terrific feedback that we’re engaging with our young fans in a meaningful way,” she said.
WU REACHES MEDAL HEIGHTS
At just 16 Australian diver Melissa Wu went to Beijing and came home with an Olympic medal.
Eight years later Wu has again confirmed her medal prospects for the Rio Olympics in August after a fine performance in a World Cup at the same venue where she won her Olympic silver.
The veteran Olympian finished the World Series event dominated by Chinese divers with a bronze medal — the only Australian in the six-strong contingent to land on the podium.
Wu, 23, claimed third place in the women’s platform final behind Chinese pair, Yajie Si and Qian Ren.
Wu was the only Australian to medal with teenager Maddison Keeney’s no dive ruling her out of the medals in the 3m springboard final.
RULE TRIAL FOR NETBALL
A new three point scoring zone and rolling interchange will be tested at his weekends ANZ champions pre-season shootouts in Sydney and Auckland.
Officials have decided to test the new rules on the final day of the events on Sunday
Each team will play two games under the trial conditions with the top two teams in each city, based on the results of those matches, to meet in a shootout final to determine the winners of the Sydney and Auckland events.
“I’ve been playing netball for forever, and I think it’s nice and exciting to have these new changes in there to test them out and see what it really does for the netball game,” said Swifts shooter Susan Pettitt.
SAILING INTO HISTORY
The worlds youngest female sailing judge, Australian Danielle Watkins, is heading to Rio.
The 27-year-old from Melbourne works as a speech pathologist at a school for children with physical and intellectual disabilities so targeted the Paralympics to officiate.
“As a professional in the disability industry the Paralympics was my goal and I’m really proud to have made it,” Watkins said.
THANK GOODNESS FOR EMMA
Australian men failed to crack a top 10 finish at the Mooloolaba World Cup with home nation pride saved by former world champion. Emma Moffatt.
Moffatt was the only Australian to podium as she finished second in the sprint distance race being used by many as a lead-in to the Gold Coast leg of the world championship series in April.
Fellow Rio hopeful Ashleigh Gentle, who raced to a second in the opener of he world championship aerie a week earlier, finished sixth.
GREAT NEWS FOR PARATRIATHLON
It’s a sport in which Aussie women and men excel and now Paratriathlon will be included on the program for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The sport will also make its debut at the Paralympics in Rio lag this year.
At the Commonwealth Games there will be one class for men and women.
Athletes will use a recumbent handcycle on the bike course and a racing wheelchair on the run segment.
“I can’t imagine a better place for paratriathlon to be tested on the Commonwealth Games program than Gold Coast, which hosts many ITU events and is a mecca for the sport of triathlon,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games has the largest-ever para-sport program, comprising up to 300 para-athletes and 38 medal events across 7 sports.
LIONS ROAR AT NATIONAL CHAMPS
Rio Olympic hopefuls Keesja Gofers and Lea Yanitsas have co-captained the Sydney University Lions to a maiden Australian Water Polo League crown.
In one of the biggest our amens prior to Olympic selection, the Lions came from behind to claim 12-8 victory over defending champions, the Brisbane Barracudas.
The Lions boast five members of the Aussies Stingers squad chasing a spot in Rio.
DIAMONDS DATES
Netball Australia has revealed the Diamonds will head to Tasmania for the first time in 30 years.
The Diamonds and Silver Ferns will play a test match in Launceston on October 12 as part of the annual Constellation Cup.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
NRL veteran and Origin player Ben Cross has signed on as the head coach for the NSW Rugby League women’s side.
The Canberra, Melbourne and Newcastle and English Super League player said he feels “privileged” to be coaching the side.
“I’m a little bit surprised actually. I spoke with (NSWRL Performance Programs Manager) Jamie Feeney, a former teammate of mine, about the possibility of doing something with the NSWRL and he said the position of Women’s coach had come up — I jumped at the chance,” Cross said.
FIRE BURN LYNX
Townsville Fire head into game two of the WNBL series on home turf with a jump on Perth Lynx after the 73-57 victory in the series opener in Perth.
The next match of the series in Townsville on Friday.
Game three, if required, will be played at 1pm Sunday at Bendat Basketball Stadium.
Originally published as Short and sweet: Matildas praised, Southern Stars win and Rio Olympic bound stars dive into action
Shooting stars: The Super Netball sharpshooters waiting in the wings
More than half of the goal shooter positions in Super Netball are taken up by imports, but who is the next group of young goalers fighting to force their way in? REBECCA WILLIAMS uncovers the stars-in-waiting pushing for their chance to impress.
Mavs stars take flight in Super Netball’s Team of the Week
Three Mavericks have been rewarded for leading the side off the bottom of the Super Netball ladder in the CODE Sports team of the week. Check out selection, and choose yours with our team picker!