Best of the best: Our ten greatest Olympic athletes

Our greatest Olympic athletes revealed

Toowoomba’s Justin Anlezark competes during the qualifying stage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Anlezark represented Australia at three Olympic Games. Picture: News Limited

OLYMPICS: Passion, purpose and dedication.

These are the reasons why Toowoomba and its surrounds have been able to produce so many Olympic athletes.

“When you look at our population, it’s safe to say we’re punching above our weight,” Toowoomba Sports Hall of Fame president Tony Conan said.

“It’s incredible the number of Olympians and other fantastic athletes we have been able to produce.

“You could write a thesis on the why and who, but I think it boils down to a few things.

“I think our young athletes mature a little bit quicker, particularly in team sports.

“If they show real promise, they get pushed into competition against adults where they have to learn the tactics of the game, to think a little quicker because they can’t rely on their physical skills alone.

“The other big thing is passion. I think they just want it that little bit more – they live and breathe their sports and that shows when it comes to competition.”

The Chronicle has compiled our own Top 10 list of Toowoomba and the region’s greatest Olympians

1. Glynis Nunn-Cearns: Her Olympic debut is one for the history books. Nunn-Cearns began competing in athletics at nine while she was a student at Toowoomba South State School. Nunn-Cearns backed up her 1982 Commonwealth Games heptathlon gold with an equally impressive performance in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. With a total score of 6390 points, five more than runner-up Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nunn-Cearns won gold in the first ever women’s Olympics heptathlon event.

2. Nikki Hudson: Toowoomba has produced some of Australian hockey’s greatest, but few can match Hudson. The striker scored 99 goals in 300 games, including three in Australia’s 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medal winning campaign. Hudson has inspired countless Toowoomba players to strive for greatness.

3. Justin Anlezark: For some athletes, one Olympics is enough – a dream come true. For shot putter Justin Anlezark, one Olympics gave him a thirst that could not be easily quenched. Anlezark is considered one of Australia’s great track and field athletes having qualified for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

4. Tim Cuddihy: Cuddihy’s journey from an archery range in Toowoomba to the 2004 Athens Olympics is the stuff dreams are made of. After winning his first three elimination matches, he beat Korea’s Park Kyung-mo 112-111 in the quarter-final. After losing to Hiroshi Yamamoto in a 10-9 tie-breaker, Cuddihy beat Great Britain’s Laurence Godfrey 113-112 to earn the bronze.

5. Michael Brennan: Another of Toowoomba’s star products, Brennan has Olympics bronze and gold to his name. His 2004 Athens gold is all the more remarkable when you consider he was coaxed out of a three-year retirement following the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

6. Jared Graves: Graves has ridden bikes on some of the world’s biggest stages but none bigger than the 2008 Olympics when BMX made its debut. Graves was a medal favourite at the event before disaster struck. Leading into the first turn of the final, Graves was involved in a mass crash started by American Donny Robinson when he clipped South African Sifiso Nhlapo. Graves finished sixth after the pileup.

7. Jenni Screen: After making a name for herself in the WNBL, Screen played professional basketball in Italy. Screen, who played all her junior basketball in Toowoomba, won silver (2008 Beijing) and bronze (2012 London) at the Olympic Games.

8/9. Emilee Cherry and Gemma Etheridge: It’s impossible to separate these two rugby stars on our list. Cherry gets the edge only because she has a rugby competition named after her here on the Darling Downs. Both players starred in Australia’s Rugby Sevens gold medal win at the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olympics.

10. Angie Lambert: Another member of our golden hockey generation, Lambert (nee Skirving) played in three Olympic campaigns (2000 gold medal win, 2004, 2008). After debuting at 17, she played 229 games for Australia and scored 49 goals.