1/92They grace our silver screens and inspire the dreams of the next generation, but which Gold Coast athlete boasts the biggest following? FIND OUT >>
RANKED: Gold Coast’s top 25 most influential athletes
They grace our silver screens and inspire the dreams of the next generation, but which Gold Coast athletes boast the biggest followings on Instagram? SEE THE FULL LIST >>
2/92All Day, every Day, Ali Day. The two-time Nutri-Grain Ironman Series champion is back in the water after 18 months away from the sport with injury and he remains a fan favourite. If the Surfers Paradise ironman makes it three series wins this year, expect his following to tick over the 20,000 mark.
3/92Ali Day competes during the Round 3 of the Nutri-Grain Ironman series at Kingscliff on February 14, 2021 in Kingscliff, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
4/92Ali Day competes during the Round 3 of the Nutri-Grain Ironman series at Kingscliff on February 14, 2021 in Kingscliff, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
5/92Dual-international Millie Boyle has staked her name as one of the best in the business and with her superstardom spread across two major footy codes, it's no wonder she boasts an Instagram following nearing 20,000.
6/92Millie Boyle of the Blues (right) fends off Shannon Mato of the Maroons during the Women’s State of Origin match between Queensland and New South Wales at Sunshine Coast Stadium on November 13, 2020 in Sunshine Coast, Australia. (Photo by Dan Peled/Getty Images)
7/92Millie Boyle pictured during an Australia Jillaroos camp on the Gold Coast. Picture: Jerad Williams
8/92A former Nutri-Grain Ironman Series champion and Australian Ninja Warrior competitor, Matt Bevilacqua is one of the biggest names - and most recognisable faces - in the surf lifesaving scene.
9/92Matt Bevilacqua poses ahead of the Nutri-Grain Ironwoman/Ironman series at Kingscliff on February 11, 2021 in Kingscliff, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
10/92Matt Bevilacqua on his ski training for the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series.
11/92Former Adelaide Crows midfielder Rory Atkins has joined the Gold Coast Suns for the 2021 season and brings with him almost 22,000 Instagram followers.
12/92Rory Atkins pictured while doing a press conference with his old club the Adelaide Crows. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)
13/92Rory Atkins playing against the Suns, the club he has since gone on to join. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
14/92Footy, footy and more footy is what you'll get as one of Corey Thompson's near-22,000 Instagram followers. The former Bulldog and Wests Tigers man made the Gold Coast his home last season.
15/92Corey Thompson of the Titans gestures towards the referee during the Round 18 NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium on September 12, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
16/92Corey Thompson of the Titans (left) fends off Joe Ofahengaue of the Broncos during the Round 7 NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Saturday, June 27, 2020. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
17/92Tasmanian Lachie Weller joined the Gold Coast Suns in 2018 from Fremantle. With looks befitting a Gold Coast local, Weller's combination of quality footy and interesting Instagram posts has landed him a following of just over 22,000.
18/92Lachie Weller of the Suns kicks during the Round 14 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at Metricon Stadium on August 30, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
19/92Lachie Weller of the Suns during the Round 4 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Fremantle Dockers at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast, Saturday, June 27, 2020. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
20/92Former Sydney-sider Bree Masters moved to the Gold Coast in 2013 to pursue a surf lifesaving career. She has since taken Australia by storm, becoming a champion beach sprint and flag medalist both nation and world wide. Masters offers plenty of fitspo to her 23,000 Instagram followers.
21/92Bond University best sporting achievements series. Bree Masters.
22/92Olympic sprinting hopefull and beach sprint champion Bree Masters pictured at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast. Picture: Sam Ruttyn
23/92A six-times capped Maroon and on-field leader for the Titans, Wallace is a popular figure on the Gold Coast and that figures in his 24,800 Instagram followers.
24/92Jarrod Wallace of the Titans is tackled by Toby Rudolf of the Sharks during the Round eight NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the Cronulla Sharks at Cbus Super Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
25/92Jarrod Wallace is seen during an NRL Gold Coast Titans training session at the Titans High Performance Centre on the Gold Coast, Thursday, May 21, 2020. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
26/92The former Adelaide Crow joined the Gold Coast Suns last year and his experience played a key on-field role. Hopefully some of Hugh Greenwood's 32,000 Instagram followers joined him in jumping ship from the Crows to the Suns.
27/92Hugh Greenwood during a Gold Coast Suns AFL training session at Somerset College Training Oval on December 07, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
28/92Hugh Greenwood of the Suns kicks the ball during the Round 3 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium on June 21, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )
29/92Tino Fa'asuamaleaui comes in at number 16 on our list, after becoming a household name almost overnight with the Melbourne Storm and Maroons last year. Now with the Titans, expect Tino's star - and follower count - to continue to rise in 2021.
30/92Tino Fa’asuamaleaui of the Maroons celebrates victory after game three of the State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues at Suncorp Stadium on November 18, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
31/92Tino Fa’asuamaleaui of the Maroons and Payne Haas of the Blues scuffle during game two of the 2020 State of Origin series between the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons at ANZ Stadium on November 11, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
32/92Brandon Ellis, Toby Price, Stephanie Gilmore and Gretel Bueta all make our list of the Gold Coast's top 25 most influential athletes.
33/92THE NO. 1 pick of the 2019 AFL Draft was leading the Brownlow Medal count in his debut season with the Suns when he was sidelined by a shoulder injury he suffered in Round 5 against Geelong. But by then Rowell’s impact on the league had already been felt, and the rookie was quickly swamped by would-be fans ready to ride the wave of the AFL’s prospective next big thing. Now fully fit and ready for his sophomore season with the Suns, Rowell’s focus is to prove he’s no flash in the pan prospect and help the Gold Coast to a finals berth. With less than 20 Instagram posts to his name, Rowell is more quality over quantity for his 41,000-odd followers. If the 19-year-old returns with the same form he showed at the start of last season, expect his following to rise exponentially once again.
34/92Suns player Matt Rowell at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre. Picture Glenn Hampson
35/92Gold Coast Suns AFL players Matt Rowell and Kalinda Howarth with local juniors, (F L-R) Archie Muller, Max Bradley, Lilah Phelan, Jack Muller and Jacob Dunshea, (B L-R) Kalinda Howarth, Seamus Phelan, Will France and Matt Rowell. Photo: Scott Powick
36/92Matt Rowell of the Suns juggles footballs before the round 7 AFL match between the Sydney Swans and the Gold Coast Suns at the Sydney Cricket Ground. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
37/92ONE of the rising stars of the surfing scene, Nichols is a 2016 World Junior Champion and late last year made her Championship Tour debut at the Maui Pro, finishing 9th. Nichols, 23, was born on the Sunshine Coast but now calls the Gold Coast home. Sun, surf and quarantine workouts dominate her Instagram feed and there’s plenty of artistic snaps to pique a follower’s interest. Remember the name Isabella Nichols.
38/92Isabella Nichols of Australia won the final of the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast on October 7, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Cestari/World Surf League via Getty Images)
39/92Isabella Nichols is a Queensland pro surfer who is also studying Mechanical Engineering and is hoping to one day be involved in making wave pools. Pics: Adam Head
40/92Isabella Nichols of Australia competes in the women’s final during the Sydney Surf Pro at Manly Beach on March 24, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
41/92RIO Olympian Gentle is on the road to Tokyo and taking her Instagram followers along with her. The Gold Coast-based triathlete will celebrate her 30th birthday later this month – and she’s achieved plenty in that time. Gentle finished second overall in the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Series and sixth in 2018. She is currently in the ACT for training camp in preparation for Tokyo.
42/92Professional triathlete Ashleigh Gentle spoke to students at Ryan Catholic College about what it takes to become a professional athlete. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.
43/92Australian triathlete Ashleigh Gentle. Picture credit: Freeway Studios.
44/92Ashleigh Gentle talks to media ahead of the Mooloolaba Triathlon. Photo Lachie Millard
45/92GOLD Coast-born Bueta (nee Tippett) is a two-time Super Netball Team of the Year representative and in 2019 was awarded the Liz Ellis Diamond as Australian Netball’s best domestic and international player. Bueta was an NBL star and represented Australia at three junior world championships for basketball, before making the switch to netball in 2012. The Australian Diamonds and Queensland Firebirds shooter recently celebrated the birth of her first child, Bobby, with husband Niko. Bobby rightfully dominates the netball star’s Instagram feed, shared by more than 48,000 followers.
46/92Firebirds netballer Gretel Bueta (nee Tippett) at home. Pic: Jamie Hanson
47/92Gretel Tippett of the Diamonds passes the ball during the Bushfire Relief Charity netball match between the Australian Diamonds and the Super Netball All-Stars at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AAP Image/Mark Evans)
48/92Gretel Tippett of Australia looks to pass during the Netball Constellation Cup between New Zealand and Australia at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch, Sunday, October 13, 2019. (AAP Image/SNPA, Martin Hunter)
49/92ONE of the stars of the Australian Matildas, Queenslander Raso currently stars for Everton in the FA Women’s Super League in England. When she’s not plying her trade overseas, Raso is based on the Gold Coast. Still just 26, Raso has notched more than 40 caps for the Matildas and is likely to remain a key cog in their set up for years to come. With the trademark ribbon in her hair Raso is easy to spot on the pitch; off of it, it’s all fun and fashion for the footballer’s near-49,000 followers.
50/92Hayley Raso of Everton runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Jamie-Lee Napier of Birmingham City during the Barclays FA Women’s Super League match between Everton Women and Birmingham City Women at Walton Hall Park on February 07, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
51/92Hayley Raso of the Australian Matildas in action during the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Play-Off match between the Australian Matildas and Vietnam at McDonald Jones Stadium on March 06, 2020 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
52/92Hayley Raso of Australia and Zhai Qingwei of China in a contest for the ball during the Women’s Olympic Tokyo 2020 Asian Qualifiers match between Australia and China at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, Thursday, February 13, 2020. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
53/92FOLLOW McKeon on her road to the Tokyo as the 2016 Rio Gold medallist sets her sights on a return to the Olympic pool. The Griffith Uni swimmer boasts four Olympic, 12 Commonwealth Games and a staggering 18 World Championships medals and was part of the world record-setting Aussie 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle teams, at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Gwangju World Championships respectively.
54/92Emma McKeon competes in the 100m Butterfly during day four of the Australian Short Course Swimming Championships at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre on November 29, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
55/92Emma McKeon speaks to media during a Swimming Australia National Event Camp Media Opportunity at Gold Coast Aquatic Centre on February 24, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
56/92Emma McKeon of London Roar during Day Two of the International Swimming League at Aquatics Centre on November 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
57/92KELLY Slater once called him “the greatest unknown sportsman of all time” but, at least on Instagram, Jamie Mitchell has received his kudos. Almost 50,000 people follow the 10-times Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard World Champion on the social media platform, treated to big wave rides every other day courtesy of the Currumbin local.
58/92MAY 23, 2006: Jamie Mitchell ahead of the Quiksilver Open Ocean Paddleboard Race from Snapper Rocks to Currumbin which he had previously won three times. Pic David Clark
59/92GC surfer Jamie Mitchell winning his 2nd straight Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race in Hawaii in 2003. pic/supplied sport o/seas paddleboarding headshot
60/92World champion paddleboarder Jamie Mitchell, 30, of Queensland, Australia, celebrates his sixth consecutive victory in the QuiksilverEdition Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race, Sunday, July 29, 2007, at Hawaii Kai, Oahu, Hawaii. The race is a grueling 32-mile event in which contestants lie down or kneel on a surfboard and paddle with their bare hands from the island of Molokai to Oahu. Mitchell beat his own record. (AP Photo/ QuiksilverEdition, Bob Cunningham)
61/92THE ONCE fan-favourite at Tigerland moved to the Suns last season and was just as much a hit on the Gold Coast. Though still just 27, the two-time Richmond premiership player has brought plenty of finals footy experience to the Suns and looms as a key cog in the club’s 2021 push. Ellis’s more than 50,000 Instagram followers are treated more to life away from footy than in it; though many notable Aussie rules names, mostly Tigers and Suns stars, make regular appearances.
62/92Gold Coast Suns vs GWS Giants at Metricon Stadium. Brandon Ellis of the Suns runs the ball out of defence . Pic: Michael Klein
63/92Brandon Ellis of the Suns spoils the ball during the round 5 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Gold Coast Suns at GMHBA Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
64/92Richmond vs Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba, Brisbane. Ex-Tiger now Sun Brandon Ellis hugs Trent Cotchin of the Tigers after final siren . Pic: Michael Klein
65/92THE seven-time Supercars championship winner shocked the world by this month announcing he will retire from full-time driving at the end of the 2021 season. Whincup, 37, is the all-time record holder for Supercars race wins – 122 – and remains one of the biggest names in motorsport. His Instagram profile declares “I love the water and driving my car fast on weekends” and living on the Gold Coast, Whincup can happily do both.
66/92Jamie Whincup during qualifying at Mount Panorama Raceway in Bathurstahead of the Bathurst 1000. Picture: Tim Hunter.
67/92Pictured is Jamie Whincup in the Redbull Holden garage during the Co-Driver practice session at Mount Panorama Raceway in Bathurst ahead of the Bathurst 1000. Picture: Tim Hunter.
68/92(L-R) Scott McLaughlin driver of the #17 Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang and Jamie Whincup driver of the #88 Red Bull Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore ZB pose during the 2020 Supercars Championship round at The Bend Motorsport Park on September 18, 2020 in Tailem Bend, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
69/92ONE of the boom signings of the 2020 NRL off-season – and he went to the Titans. Keebra Park graduate Fifita returns to the Gold Coast after 44 games with the Broncos over two seasons, in which the 186cm back-rower announced himself to the world as one of the most dominant young players in the game. Fifita joins Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Herman Ese’ese and Sam McIntyre as new faces in the Titans’ forward pack this season and fans are frenzied in their excitement at the prospect. Expect plenty of behind-the-scenes snaps from Titans training if you join the 20-year-old’s more than 70,000 followers.
70/92David Fifita of the Indigenous All Stars runs the ball during an Indigenous Men’s All-Star training session at Townsville Sports Reserve on February 17, 2021 in Townsville. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
71/92David Fifita has been all smiles since signing for the Gold Coast Titans from the Brisbane Broncos. Photograph : Jason O’Brien
72/92David Fifita in action during a Gold Coast Titans Rugby League Training Session at Parkwood. Photograph : Jason O’Brien
73/92THE BORN and raised Gold Coaster is a two-time Olympian at the age of 26 and boasts eight Commonwealth Games medals – three gold. The TSS Aquatic member broke the Australian 100m freestyle record in 2016, a mark which still stands today. McEvoy remains one of Australia’s best freestyle proponents over 50m, 100m and 200m ahead of a prospective Tokyo Olympics berth in July this year. Out of the pool, McEvoy is a physics and mathematics student at Griffith and thus his Instagram following of more than 100,000 is oft treated to a combination of waterborne exploits and head-scratching theorems.
74/92Swimmer Cameron McEvoy (left) celebrating with teammates after being named in the Australian Team to compete at the World Swimming Championships in South Korea after the finish of the World Swimming Trials at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre in Brisbane, Friday, June 14, 2019. (AAP Image/Darren England)
75/92Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy after the final of the Mens 50 metre Freestyle at the World Swimming Trials at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre in Brisbane, Friday, June 14, 2019. (AAP Image/Darren England)
76/92Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy in action during the Final of the Men’s 100 metres Freestyle at the World Swimming Trials at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre in Brisbane, Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (AAP Image/Darren England)
77/92IN A town renowned for its surfers, swimmers and triathletes, Toby Price bucked the Gold Coast trend by making his mark in the dirt. In 2004, at just 16, Price began his professional off-road motorcycle racing career and in the 17 years since, the 33-year-old has chalked up eight world finals titles – including the 2016 and 2019 Dakar Rally crowns – and a staggering 18 Australian finals titles. Price was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia on Australia Day this year for his service to Aussie motorsport. If you’re a fan of fast bikes and scenic surrounds, join Price’s 459k Instagram followers for a peek behind the curtain at the life of a living motorsports legend.
78/92Toby Price racing in Saudi Arabia in the Dakkar Rally Picture: Facebook
79/92Australian motorcycle rider Toby Price shocked the motorcycle world by racing on a tyre held together with cable ties. Picture: Facebook, Toby Price Racing.
80/92Australian biker Toby Price concentrates during the Stage 10 of the Dakar 2020 between Haradh and Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, on January 15, 2020. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
81/92SEVEN-TIMES world surfing champion Steph Gilmore has travelled the world and surfed its best beaches, but she still calls the Gold Coast home. Kingscliffe acts as home base when Gilmore is not tearing it up on the WSL Women’s tour; something she has done for consistently for more than a decade. From 2007-10 Gilmore went on a storeyed run of four-straight world title wins – cementing her as one of the premiere athletes the sport had ever seen. She has since added three more titles to her name, most recently in 2018, and is set to represent Australia when surfing takes centre stage for the first time at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Gilmore’s ‘Gram, which boasts more than 650,000 followers, shows snapshots of her surfing life at home and abroad – and the occasional downtime jam on the bass guitar.
82/92Seven-time World Surfer Stephanie Gilmore is an avid photographer and is pictured at Snapper Rocks Picture NIGEL HALLETT
83/92Seven-time WSL champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia advances directly to Round 3 of the 2019 Corona Bali Protected after winning Heat 3 of Round 1 at Keramas on May 13, 2019 in Bali, Indonesia. (Photo by Matt Dunbar/WSL via Getty Images)
84/92Seven-time World Surfer Stephanie Gilmore is an avid photographer and is pictured at Snapper Rocks Picture NIGEL HALLETT
85/92HE STILL competes, so it counts! Fisher, known by the same name on stage, is a former pro surfer turned-musician and best known for the latter. But before he was charting in Triple J’s annual Hottest 100 countdown and hosting the Richmond Tigers’ AFL premiership celebrations, Fisher was a regular on the WSL Qualifying Series. Based in Los Angeles when there is no global pandemic, the former Burleigh Heads local is back home in Australia and has spent plenty of time on the Gold Coast. Fisher, 34, was most recently in action at the annual Burleigh Boardriders Single Fin Classic in January. If you’re a fan of surfing, sounds and have too much of a good time, @followthefishtv is your man.
86/92Paul Fisher in action The Single Fin Classic at Burleigh Heads. Photograph : Jason O'Brien
87/92International music producer FISHER with a new locally-brewed seltzer that he owns with celebrity mates including pro surfers Laura Enever and Nikki Van Dijk, DJ and fitness model Brooke Evers and TV personality Hayden Quinn. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT
88/92Paul Fisher in action The Single Fin Classic at Burleigh Heads. Photograph : Jason O’Brien
89/92ONE of surfing’s all-time greats, Mick Fanning tops our list and deservedly so. The Palm Beach Currumbin State High School graduate, with 2007, 2009 and 2013 World Surf League titles to his name, boasts the biggest social media following of any Gold Coast-based athlete. Six times Australian Male Surfer of the Year, Fanning remains a household name across the world and is still a regular on Gold Coast beaches. Even in retirement, Fanning’s 1.2 million Instagram followers are still treated to quality surfing content and the 39-year-old remains one of the best forms of publicity for the Coast’s wonderful waters.
90/92Mick Fanning CR Justine Walpole
91/92Surfer Mick Fanning attends a paddle out in memory of Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin on July 11, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. Australian Winter Olympic Games Snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin died on Wednesday 8 July in a drowning accident while spearfishing at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast, aged 32. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
92/92Australian and World former No.1 surfer, Mick Fanning gets some wave time in at Snapper Rocks after the WSL round 1 Corona Open Gold Coast was cancelled due to the Coronavirus.
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