Champions and cult heroes: Toowoomba’s best athletes you’ve never heard of

Toowoomba is a city punching well above its sporting weight, producing athletes competing on the national and world stage. Here are 10 mega stars in sports you’ll be surprised by. FULL LIST

TOOWOOMBA and the Darling Downs has always been able to produce top tier sporting talent. Many state, national and international stars first tried tested their sporting talents in the region before going on to achieve great. Here’s our look at ten stars you might not know about.

Tyrs Warriors club member Kyle Weblin after a bout at the Buhurt, Beer and BBQ event hosted by Queensland medieval combat club Tyrs Warriors at Toowoomba Showgrounds, Saturday, November 30, 2019. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Kyle Weblin (historical medieval battle/buhurt)

Preparing for life after the army, Weblin knew he wanted to find a sport he could enjoy.

Being involved in historical medieval battles, a sport most people describe as MMA with swords, however was never his first choice.

“I knew about it because a mate had been bugging me to give it a try for ages,” Weblin said. “I finally caved, went to a training session with him and pretty much loved it straight away.

It’s hard to describe but it’s quite primal.

“Where else can you see a mate across the field of battle and basically charge at them in a suit of armour, swinging an axe to try and take them down and when it’s all settled, when the game is over, you can sit there and have a beer with them.

“It’s not a re-enactment, there’s no choreography and we don’t know the result before the match.”

Toowoomba's Kyle Weblin in action during a historical medieval battle individual match. Picture: Neil Jose – Your Photography

As well as one-on-one showdowns HMB also includes group battles more commonly known as Buhurt.

In these timed battles the team with the most fighters left standing at the end is declared the winners, with fighters eliminated when they make three points of contact with the ground.

Weblin, who has held the Australian Pro Fight Lightweight title, said the sport involves a lot of training.

“At my peak I was probably training five or six times a week,” the 34-year-old said.

“It does require a lot of training – a mix of work for strength and fitness and technique.

“Some of the guys weigh up to 190kg with all the armour so you obviously need that strength element.

“When you’re fighting one-on-one you work on different combinations and grappling to bring people down, and then there’s communications and tactics to work out if you’re in the buhurts.”

Ranger Runners Orienteering Club member Julia Gannon.

Julia Gannon (orienteering)

Newcastle is home while Gannon completes her university studies, but when she competes she proudly flies her hometown flag as a member of the Range Runners Orienteering Club. Gannon first tried her hand at orienteering about 10 years ago – following in the footsteps of her older sister who participated in the sport at school.

“My sister was talking about it (orienteering) after she tried it at school and I thought I’d give it a go and I really enjoyed it,” Gannon said.

“Now I love it. There’s obviously a big running element to orienteering but I can’t really enjoy just a run now – it’s not stimulating enough.

“I love the planning involved in orienteering before you set off, I love looking at the toppo map and trying to imagine how the course will look.”

Gannon’s recent performances have been rewarded with the young athlete named in the Australian team that will compete in the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) in Portugal in July.

Athletes will compete in sprint, middle- and long- distance individual races as well as a team relay race.

She has represented Australia in the past, competing in a special series against New Zealand, but the opportunity to wear Aussie green and gold again is no less special.

As well as competing in Portugal, Gannon will represent Australia in Estonia at a World Cup event and Switzerland at the University Games.

“I’m really excited,” she said.

“Competing against New Zealand was fantastic, they were very competitive, but this is the next level.

“In Portugal, and then Estonia, I’ll be competing against the best in the world.”

Toowoomba wingsuit racer and the world's fastest man, Chris Byrnes has set a new world record after hit 333km/h jumping off the Ecstasy Board, an infamous rocky outcrop at the peak of The Eiger, in Switzerland.

Chris Byrnes, Toowoomba BASE jumper and wingsuit racer set new world speed record.

Chris Byrnes (base jumping)

Byrnes has a need for speed that can only be met after leaping off the faces of the world’s tallest mountains.

The Garden City daredevil is a BASE-jumping wing-suit flyer of world repute.

In 2021, he became the world’s fastest man, flying at 333km/h after base jumping from the north face of the Eiger, in the Swiss Alps.

That feat was a little over a year-and-a-half after he sought to set three world records in one jump from the same mountain.

They included longest distance travelled in 30 seconds, fastest speed and highest altitude gain, but he had to call it off due to poor weather.

“I had been dreaming of this jump for years,” Byrnes said of his 2021 feat.

“I was keeping an eye on the weather and conditions and felt like that day was my best shot.” My other friends were not keen to go so I hiked it solo.

“It was a very special experience and I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself.

“It is one of the best places in the world for setting wingsuit speed records because of the thin air at the high elevation and the steep face of the mountain.”

Bianca Sheppard successful at recent powerlifting event in Melbourne. Thursday, May 19, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Bianca Sheppard (powerlifting)

Toowoomba’s ‘strength sport’ community is getting stronger by the day and Shepard is one of the leading lifters. Competing at the Australian Powerlifting League Queensland State Titles earlier this year she won gold with a 500kg (200kg back, squat, 100kg benchpress, 200kg deadlift) total.

“I’m really happy, it’s a great result for me,” Daniel, who is a self-employed personal trainer and strength coach, said after the meet.

“The goal was actually to get 500kg by the end of the year, and my coach Chris Wells from Strength Precinct said he’d retire when I did.

“I’ve already told him he can’t retire now because we’ve got a lot more work ahead of us.” Daniel then went on to claim silver at the ProRaw 12 event – a competition that is considered to be one of Australia’s elite strength sport events.

She recorded a personal best squat 205kg (up 5kg), a 200kg deadlift and a 100kg bench press.

Cameron Stein had success at the Australian National Championships of Tenpin Bowling Australia in Hobart, Thursday, August 26, 2021. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Cameron Stein (ten pin)

Stein is no stranger to success on the lanes. Bowling since the tender age of two, his skills quickly progressed as he tagged along with his parents to bowling centres, and he signed up for his first ‘league’ at four.

He first represented Australia in 2019 at the inaugural World Junior Championships in Paris, France. Stein represented Australia later in 2019 at the Asian School competition finishing fourth in the singles and sixth overall.

After two years without international competition, the Sunset Superbowl regular will represent his country again lining up in the Under-21 team at the IBF World Championships in Sweden. “I’ve represented Australia before as a junior but this will be my first time in the youth division,” he said.

“I’m nervous but also very excited. It’s a big step in the level of competition.

“Our team coach has been giving us a lot of work and I think I’ve done the work to give myself a good chance. You don’t know until you’re there though.”

The championships will run from June 21-29.

Declan Trezise on the brakes.

Declan Trezise (cycling)

As a member of the Australian Cycling Academy Queensland team, Tresize is currently racing in Europe at the professional level. To date, the former Toowoomba junior has raced in Holland and Belgium which are considered among the toughest testing grounds in Europe.

Jason Spurgin, Mountaineers. Toowoomba Mountaineers vs Port City Power, QBL. Saturday, 4th May, 2019.

Jason Spurgin (basketball)

Spurgin made the move to America in 2020 where he linked up with Southern Utah College. After a quiet start to his college career, averaging just 5.1 minutes, one point and one rebound per game, the young centre has picked up his game this season. The Thunderbirds big man is now averaging 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds. 0.9 assists in 23.4 minutes.

Toowoomba steeplechase athlete Brielle Erbacher

Brielle Erbacher (steeplechase)

There’s no questioning Erbacher’s commitment to racing. Accepting her Sports Darling Downs 2018 Senior Rookie of the Year award at the not-profit organisation annual awards dinner, Erbacher spoke about road trips to Sydney and Melbourne with her mother and how they ‘camped out and cooked meals on park barbecues’.

A lot has changed since then with Mansell Transport owner Neil Mansell now paying for the runner’s travel but her commitment remains the same.

This year Erbacher has claimed some major wins shaving 9 minutes 39 seconds of her personal best to win the 3000m steeple at Melbourne Track Classic and second at the Adelaide Invitational Open Women’s event. She also placed 8th at the Australian 3000m Championships in Sydney and 8th in the 1500m at the Melbourne Zatopek Open Women’s Championships.

Anne Elliot (cycling)

Elliot is a two time Australian winner – securing gold in the MW 5 category at the Australian Time Trial Masters Road Championships and in the WMN 150 category at the Fed Uni Road Racing Nationals Team Time Trials.

As the reigning Australian champion in her age division, the Darling Downs Cycling Club member is set to travel to Italy later this year to race against the world’s best.

Kehan Edwards has qualified for the Torian Pro CrossFit. Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Kehan Edwards (CrossFit)

The Clifton teen is a star on the rise. Just two years after taking up the sport, the now 17-year-old is competing alongside the best young athletes in the Oceania region. Kehan secured one of just eight spots in the elite teen boys’ division at the Torian Pro thanks to his strong performance in the 2022 CrossFit Open. In contention for a podium position for most of the three day competition, he eventually finished fifth.