TOP 20: Darling Downs' sporting stars revealed
THIS list of our top 20 sporting stars proves Toowoomba punches well above its weight. Find out who made the cut.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT'S SAFE to say Toowoomba punches well above its "sporting weight".
The Garden City and its neighbours have produced countless local, state, national and international superstars.
From Hockeyroos and Kangaroos to Olympic medallists and world champions, we've got it all.
We've produced stars that changed the way their respective sports are played and we're home to champions whose achievements have put Toowoomba on the map.
Hearing that our News Corp friends The Courier Mail had compiled a list of Queensland's Top 100 sports stars, the first 20 of which are in today's The Chronicle, we decided to shine the spotlight on our locals.
We've put together our Top 20 and I can assure you it was no easy task.
Settling on a Top 20 took a lot of time, fact checking and there was a healthy amount of debate in the office.
It's a list I feel we could've filled 10 times over.
I've think we've got it right though - selecting a good cross section of sports stars who have proudly called Toowoomba home.
We've got legends past and present, individual stars and athletes who have helped steer their teams to massive victories in all manner of competitions.
Some of the names on our list will be expected but I think there are few that will surprise even the most passionate sports fans.
1. Will Power
VERIZON IndyCar Series champion and Indy500 winner Will Power is a dominant figure in one of motor sport's toughest arenas.
With Queensland Formula Ford and Australian Formula Holden championships to his name, Power joined the American Champ Car series in 2005 - the start of a brilliant career.
Power made his Indy Car debut at the Gold Coast in the same year and was Champ Car World Series Rookie of the Year after finishing sixth in point standings for Team Australia in 2006.
The 37-year-old's first Champ Car win came in 2007 and he backed up with two more wins in 2008.
Champ Car's 2008 merge with Indy Car kicked off a golden run for Power who has won at least one race every season since 2009.
Runner-up in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 Power recorded a major milestone when he won his first Verizon IndyCar Series in 2014.
Power recorded another major milestone earlier this year when he won his first Indy500.
Speaking to The Chronicle after the race Power was elated.
"This completes my career," he said.
"It's the one box that I've wanted to check for so long and now I have.
"I can't explain what it really means to me. It's the single biggest race in the world. A race that everyone wants to be a part of and to win.
"It's absolutely amazing. I feel honoured."
2. Nikki Hudson
THE world hockey fraternity and Australian sport fans at large need little reminding of the extraordinary achievements of Nikki Hudson OAM.
The former Toowoomba schoolgirl's feats on the international hockey stage stamp her undeniably as one of Australia's greatest all-time sportswomen.
But it is her off-field qualities as a role model and inspirational figure, as much as her playing abilities, that define the champion qualities of Hudson.
After debuting for the Hockeyroos as a 17-year-old in 1993, Hudson scored 99 goals in her role as an Australian striker,
She went on to become the first woman to play 303 international hockey matches for Australia - second behind Madonna Blyth.
The highpoint of her career came at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games where, as a member of the Gold Medal-winning Hockeyroos, Hudson finished top scorer at the tournament with six goals.
Hudson featured in three World Cup, Olympic and Commonwealth Games campaigns.
3. Glynis Nunn-Cearns
GLYNIS Nunn-Cearns' early days were spent at Haig St in Toowoomba, at the bottom of Gold Park.
She loved running from the time she could remember and she used to slide down the big hill there and run back again and again. She joined the local running club at nine and went from there.
Nunn-Cearns started athletics in 1969 at the same age and quickly showed her ability winning six events at the Queensland State Secondary Schools Championships in 1975.
One year later, in 1976, she secured the national junior long jump title with 5.86m and was second in the pentathlon with 3758 points.
She defended her long jump title in Sydney in 1977 with a distance of 5.98m and her first international appearance followed, when she was selected to represent Australia in a match against New Zealand in which she won the pentathlon with 4180 points.
American magazine Sports Illustrated named Jackie Joyner-Kersee the greatest female athlete of the 20th century yet Nunn beat her for the heptathlon gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
At the 1982 Commonwealth Games she won heptahlon gold ahead of Judy Livermore.
Nunn-Cearns now applies her experience as a well respected coach.
4. Tim Horan
DOWNLANDS College has produced some fantastic rugby players but few, if any surpass, the ability of Tim Horan.
Horan featured in Downlands' undefeated 1987 team that also included future Wallabies Brett Johnstone, Brett Robinson, Garrick Morgan, and Peter Ryan and was coached by former England mentor John Elders.
The 1987 team beat the likes of Sydney's Kings, Riverview and St Joseph's colleges with Horan a major attacking threat.
Horan, who lined up for the Australian Schoolboys side the same year, made his Wallabies debut in 1989 against New Zealand - linking up with Toowoomba Grammar School product Jason Little.
In the 1990s Horan was considered one world rugby's greatest players - possessing fantastic skills in both attack and defence.
Horan, who played 80 Tests, played key roles in Australia's 1991 and 1999 World Cup wins.
He was named player of the tournament in 1999 and was inducted into the World Australian Rugby Union Halls of Fame in 2015.
Horan also featured 119 times for the Queensland Reds.
5. Arthur Postle
ARTHUR Postle's Australian running feats in the early 20th century were so remarkable sceptics believed they were "too good to be true" and dismissed him as a fake.
But when the challenge was thrown out in 1907 by his doubters in England to take on their sprinting champion W. Growcott, the world soon found out the man from the Darling Downs known as "The Crimson Flash" was the real deal.
Postle took up the challenge to meet Growcott and travelled to England for the match race where he started a 3-1 outsider in the 100-yard Manchester showdown against the cocky Englishman.
After exploding to an early lead, Postle withstood a mid-race burst from Growcott to streak away for a remarkable victory - one which would help confirm him as the fastest man alive.
Born near Pittsworth, Postle's electrifying starts made him "unbeatable" over distances up to 75 yards.
He set world records over 50 yards, 60 yards, 75 yards, 80 yards and 200 yards and won events up to 300 yards.
Internationally his career was highlighted by contests with South African Reg Walker and his rivalry with Australian champion Jack Donaldson, also known as the "Blue Streak".
6. Tom Gorman
TOM Gorman kicked off a stunning rugby league career in Toowoomba before moving to Brisbane in 1926.
Light and quick on his feet he went on to represent Queensland and Australia multiple times.
The first Queenslander to captain Australia, Gorman was named in the centres with Mal Meninga in the Queensland Team of the Century.
A member of the Queensland team that beat NSW in five consecutive interstate series from 1922-26, he captained Queensland to a series win in his final season in 1928.
7. Duncan Thompson
IN APRIL 1918 Thompson was shot through the chest fighting the Germans at Dernancourt.
He survived but was told he would never play sport again and carried a bullet fragment in his body for the rest of his life.
Born in 1895, he began his club rugby league career in Ipswich, and first represented Queensland in 1915.
After a winning several premierships with Norths (Sydney) and representing Australia he returned to Toowoomba in 1922.
He captained the Toowoomba team in 1924-25 beating all comers, including Sydney premiers Souths, Brisbane, Ipswich and visiting representative sides, including New South Wales, Victoria, Great Britain and New Zealand.
8. Johnathan Thurston
JOHNATHAN Thurston openly admits his stint at All Whites (now Brothers) was the turning point in his rugby league and personal life.
With his life heading off the rails Thurston said his new adopted families put him on the right path.
Over-looked by numerous teams in his early playing days because he was "too small" Thurston would go on to prove the nay-sayers wrong.
In an brilliant career he was the 2015 Clive Churchill medalist, won the Dally M Player of the Year four times, Halfback of the Year four times, Five-Eighth of the Year three times and Captain of the Year once.
9. Laura Geitz
ALLORA'S golden girl Laura Geitz has inspired generations of young netballers.
Making her Firebirds debut in 2008 aged 20 she led the team to the 2011 ANZ Championship. Geitz was part of the Australian Diamonds squad for the 2011 Netball World Championships in Singapore.
Although she did not play as Goal Keeper in the first half against New Zealand, her impact helped recover a six-goal deficit to force the match into overtime.
This move proved to be successful as the Diamonds prevailed over their rivals in a one-goal victory.
A Liz Ellis Diamonds Award winner in 2011 Geitz captained the winning Constellation Cup team against New Zealand and in 2014 was captain of the side that again defeated New Zealand in the gold medal match at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Geitz announced her retirement earlier this year having won multiple national and world titles.
10. John McDonald
JOHN McDonald's life as a citizen of Toowoomba has transcended sport.
His achievements as an international sportsman and rugby league role model have been matched off field by his contribution as both a sport administrator and community leader.
Toowoomba-born McDonald is the son of Queensland rugby union Test winger John "Cracker" McDonald Snr.
He began his rugby league playing days in 1960 with the Valleys club in Toowoomba.
McDonald became instantly recognisable as a blistering quick winger or centre and aptly carried his father's nickname of "Cracker".
McDonald went on to represent Queensland nine times and won Australian Test selection from the Toowoomba Rugby League competition.
McDonald retired from playing at the age of 27 before becoming one of Australian rugby league's most influential coaches and administrators.
He coached Queensland in the late 1970s and led the Maroons into their first State of Origin battle with the Blues in 1980.
11. Justin Anlezark
STANDING at 188cm and topping the scales at a touch under 130kg (at his peak) Justin Anlezark cuts an imposing figure, he is however a true gentleman of the sport.
Representing Australia at three Olympics (Sydney, Athens and Beijing), two Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur and Manchester) and multiple world championships - Anlezark attributes his success to the support of his family, friends and the greater Toowoomba community.
Anlezark, who won Commonwealth Games shot put gold in Manchester, was the first Australian male to reach a World Championship Shot Put final in 2003.
Now working as a throwing coach, Anlezark's legacy has inspired a new generation of Toowoomba throwers quickly proving themselves on the national and international stage.
12. Michael Katsidis
AT HIS peak Michael Katsidis was arguably one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
His aggressive high pressure fighting style excited fans the world over.
In an amateur career that started at age 11, Katsidis amassed 75 wins, six losses and represented Australia in the lightweight division at the Sydney Olympics.
Never afraid to take on the world's best Katsidis is probably best known for his 2007 clash with Englishman Graham Earl in London.
In a brutal encounter the pair traded heavy blows from the first bell.
Having watched Katsidis dominate their fighter in the first two rounds (Earl was knocked down three times) Earl's corner "threw in the towel" only to have it rejected by the fight official. Katsidis went on to win the fight in the fifth round to claim the vacant WBO interim lightweight title.
13. Jason Little
A PRODUCT of Toowoomba Grammar School's famed rugby program, Jason Little formed a lethal Wallabies partnership alongside Tim Horan in the 1990s.
Little and Horan were considered the best centre partnership in world rugby through that time and the pair combined superbly in Australia's 1991 World Cup victory.
A dual World Cup winner, Little played 75 times for Australia and had a well-credentialled professional rugby career.
14. Karen Smith
KAREN Smith is another product of Toowoomba's Clyde Park production line.
Breaking into the Hockeyroos squad at just 17, the attacking midfielder went on to play 271 tests for Australia placing her fourth on the appearance list.
Known for her consistency, work ethic and skillful play Smith scored 49 goals in her international career and has multiple World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy medals.
15. Jim Atkins
TOOWOOMBA horse trainer Jim Atkins, who died in 2010, produced more than 3000 winners including some of Australia's best gallopers.
He trained right up to his death at age 94 and flew the flag for Toowoomba Turf Club with horses such as Dalrello, Grey Affair, Prince Ruling, Just Now and Mr Cromwell.
16. Artie Beetson
IN 1973 Beetson the first Aborigine to captain Australia in any sport and he was the Maroons captain in the first State of Origin game in 1980.
He was named as a Rugby League Immortal in 2004 and chosen in the Queensland Team of the Century and the Australian Team of the Century.
Born at Roma, he was a fast-running prop with a great off-load. In the second Test against France on the 1973 Kangaroo Tour, Beetson became the first Aboriginal player to captain Australia.
17. Darren Lockyer
DURING 17 seasons with the Broncos Lockyer broke many records for his club, Queensland and Australia, including most NRL appearances, most State of Origin appearances, most games as Queensland captain and most tries for Australia.
Playing at fullback Lockyer won three grand finals including a Clive Churchill Medal in 2000 for best player on the ground, a World Cup with Australia, and the Golden Boot Award for the world's best player.
He was named in Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century at fullback.
He switched positions to five-eighth in 2004 and went on to win a fourth grand final with the Broncos and five more State of Origin series and a second Golden Boot Award.
18. Matt Hayden
A POWERFUL and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, the Kingaroy-born champion formed an all-conquering opening partnership in Test cricket with Justin Langer and in one-day internationals with Adam Gilchrist.
In Queensland's first Sheffield Shield triumph in March 1995, he hit 74 in Queensland's match-winning 664 and his 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003 was, at the time, the highest score in Test cricket.
It remains the highest score by an Australian. Hayden played for Queensland from 1991 to 2009 and made his Test debut in 1994 against South Africa in Johannesburg.
19. Shane Webcke
FEW forwards will ever be able to match the intensity or consistency of prop Shane Webcke.
Wayne Bennett signed the proud Leyburn man after seeing him in action as part of the 1993 Australian Schoolboys team.
Webcke made his debut in the 1995 ARL season and two years later had his first premiership ring, when he helped Brisbane to victory over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the 1997 Super League grand final.
Webcke made his debut for Queensland in 1998 and was the only player to wear the Maroons number 8 jersey until his retirement in 2004.
Webcke made 254 appearences for the Broncos winning four premierships and also represented Australia 26 times.
20. Steve Price
SPOTTED playing for Newtown Lions, Steve Price would go on to be one of the NRL's greatest and most respected forwards.
Making his debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 1994, Price played 313 NRL games and 44 representative games for Queensland and Australia.
The multiple Daly M Captain of the Year winner was in six winning State-of-Origin series.
Originally published as TOP 20: Darling Downs' sporting stars revealed
Named: Man at centre of gunshot allegations identified
The identity of a Kingaroy man whose alleged actions with a gun led to a major police response where officers swarmed a property and set up road spikes can be revealed.
Spit: What an ex-con, ex-addict can teach us about mateship
Iconic Australian film character, Johnny Spiteri, known for asking the court who will pay for his bus fare in Gettin’ Square, returns to the big screen to teach us all a bit about mateship. Find out how Toowoomba got a starring role:
VOTE NOW: Who is Toowoomba’s favourite apprentice?
Whether they are sparkies, plumbers, mechanics or hairdressers, these apprentices are tackling the tools of their trade. Vote for you favourite here.
European holiday? New car? How much you’re saving with 50c fares
We’ve crunched the numbers to find out how much everyday Queenslanders are saving thanks to 50c fares, and for some it’s enough for an annual European holiday or new car.
Love him or hate him? Tell us how you really feel about Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the centre of conversation once more in the office, at the pub and around the dinner table. What do you think of the divisive leader? TAKE THE SURVEY
One-time NRL hopeful’s rape charge after alleged attack
A Gatton man, who was once an aspiring NRL player, will undergo a mental health assessment before being able to make a bail application next week.