Short and Sweet: Sally Pearson, Michelle Jenneke in athletics team, Sally Fitzgibbons, cricketers pipped

THE Southern Stars may have lost to the West Indies but they are winners with fans. Overseas news, Rio selections and surf comebacks. All in SHORT AND SWEET.

West Indies cricketers celebrate after winning the women's World T20 final.

• Watts a fighter’s chance for Rio
• Surfers want wave equality
• Young guns fire in Olympic sail race
• World Surf league: women to watch

THE Southern Stars may have lost to the West Indies but they have come out winners with the fans thanks to their generosity off the pitch.

Our hockey players returned to the competition arena and our surfers had mixd results at one of the most famous venues in the world, Bells Beach.

The ANZ Championship netball kicked off and there were blockbuster games.

More Aussie punched their tickets to Rio and we farewelled a legend in Lauren Jackson.

And overseas the IOC made same pretty significant changes.

All this and more in this weeks SHORT AND SWEET.

GOOD NEWS

London Olympic hurdling star Sally Pearson was named in the Australian athletics team heading to Rio, despite a debilitating wrist injury that has sidelined her since June.

The 100m hurdles gold medallist was announced as an official member of Australia’s latest Olympics team at a gala dinner in Sydney on Sunday.

Pearson will again compete on the international stage in June before heading to Rio with the rest of the Australian Olympic team in August.

Injured world silver medallist Kim Mickle was also one of the 28 athletes added to the Australian Athletics team.

SURFING COMEBACK.

It’s always good to see a champion fight back.

And that’s exactly what Sally Fitzgibbons did at the famous surfing sport of Bells Beach.

Fitzgibbons responded to the challenge of bouncing back from her worst ever defeat in a world championship events to finish runner-up to Courtney Conlogue at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

In fantastic surf which showcase the best in the sport Fitzgibbons show she can go all the way this season by taking down world champion Carissa Moore en-route to her place in the final.

Sally Fitzgibbons exits the water after her finals loss to Courtney Conlogue.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT

Women now make up over one-third of IOC Commission Members — another step in the implementation of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms

This equates to a 60 per cent increase in women members in less than three years

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said additional changes to the IOC Commissions for 2016 include female representation of more than 33 per cent, a historic high. The milestone is a direct result of the reforms in Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic road map for the future of the Olympic Movement, which was approved in December 2014.

A BIT OF HISTORY

Australia will also have two representatives in the women’s 100m hurdles in Rio for the first time since 1972 in Munich after Michelle Jenneke confirmed her spot alongside Pearson.

Michelle Jenneke celebrates winning the womens 100m hurdles final at the Australian Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park.

Jenneke won her first national crown by clocking 12.93 sec to confirm she would make her Olympic debut in August.

“It is so good to get under 13 again this season,” she said. “I’m feeling so confident now going into the rest of the year.”

But missing from Rio will be Tamsyn Manou who finished third in the 800m final, ending her hopes of an Olympic comeback at the age of 37.

NETBALL ARRIVES

There weren’t any real upsets but the worlds best netball shooters were in fine form in the opening round of the NZ championship.

A trio of players scorers 45 goals plus on their own in the opening round of the competition.

Steel’s Jhaniele Fowler-Reid lead the way with 48/56 (86%).

Romelda Aiken battles Zoe Walker for the ball in round one.

Fever’s Caitlin Bassett was next with 47/49 (96%).

Firebirds shooter Romelda Aiken rounded out the three with 45/49 (92%).

BASKETBALL LEGEND RETIRES

Australian sport has farewelled on its greats.

Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson confiermd late l;ast week she was unable to play at the rio Olympics.

While we all had our fingers crossed, it just wasn’t meant to be for the injured star.

THUMBS UP

Big thumbs up to Andrea Hewitt from New Zealand.

The grief-stricken triathlete is back racing after sudden death of her fiancee, French champion, Laurent Vidal last year.

Hewitt raced at the New Plymouth World Cup last weekend and will be on the Gold Coast for the world championship series race on Saturday.

The race doubles as an Olympic selection for both our men and women.

HOCKEYROOS ON SONG

The Hockeyoos are making an impact at the Hawkes Bay Cup with their latest win a 2-0 victory over Korea.

Georgie Parker and Grace Stewart both scored in the match.

It was Stewart’s third goal in nine international matches.

Hockeyroo Casey Sablowski.

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

JAMES Sutherland believes the women’s World Cup is ready to take its own centre stage, revealing that Cricket Australia are lobbying to host the 2020 edition of the tournament at a completely different time of year to the men. READ MORE

Australian women cricketers stand on the field following their lost to the West Indies.

SITTING on a plane, moving her head to one side, too much tension, too much training — these are things that remind Anna Meares with a bolt of blinding pain which can linger for hours just how close she was to losing her life to the sport she loves.

It is also a reminder that a woman who has systematically and clinically beaten the best in the world to be recognised as our greatest female track cyclist is very human.

Off the track at least. On it she continues to look formidable READ MORE

ROUND one is almost done and dusted in the ANZ Championship and there is plenty to talk about.

Defending champions, the Queensland Firebird, were quick to show they mean business this year and last years runners-up the NSW Swifts looked ominous in their defeat of the Melbourne Vixens. READ MORE

There was some top shooting in the ANZ championship in round one.

THE Southern Stars surge to this World Twenty20 final has been fuelled by their inspiringly selfless support of the Australian Paralympic team.

Australia’s women stand to take home just $6000 each in prize money should they topple the West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday, but that hasn’t stopped every single player making a pre-tournament commitment to reach into their own pockets and help athletes less fortunate than themselves. READ MORE

Sally Fitzgibbons with her second place trophy at Bells Beach. 2016

AUSTRALIAN Sally Fitzgibbons has rescucitated her bid for a maiden world crown but finished just shy of her first major win of the year at Rip Curl Pro crown at Bells Beach.

The surfer from the NSW south coast produced a high-energy final but was just pipped for her third Bells trophy by in-form American Courtney Conlogue in the world tour event on Friday afternoon. READ MORE

THE Australian battle for the historic all-female 49erFX spot at the Rio Olympics is heating up with the youngest and newest teams making an impact in a major European lead-up regatta.

The 49er FX is making its debut at the Rio Olympics after being added to the programs to improve women’s participation numbers on the sailing program. READ MORE

Farewell to a basketball superstar.

AUSTRALIAN basketball legend Lauren Jackson has announced her retirement from professional basketball.

The announcement was made on Thursday morning, during an Australian Opals training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport. READ MORE

AS a three year old she ran through paddocks on her family farm in Yay laughing that her older brother couldn’t catch her.

On school sports days she blissfully sped past the other little girls. So far in front she’d wave to her mum Yolanta in the crowd and giggle her way over the finishing line.

And today, she is arguably the fastest woman in Rugby Sevens, if she gets going with the ball no-one can catch her. READ MORE

Originally published as Short and Sweet: Sally Pearson, Michelle Jenneke in athletics team, Sally Fitzgibbons, cricketers pipped