A host of the Sunshine Coast’s best athletes are ready to compete on the big stage.
A water polo player who initially hated the sport, a veteran kayaker on the brink of retirement and a world record-holding swim star are just some of the competitors from the region who are set to thrive at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Almost 20 locals are set for the event, which gets underway on Friday, July 26. They’re amid a 460-strong Australian team that is tipped to push for a record medal haul.
Peregian Springs’ Nic Porter will make his Olympic debut.
The 26-year-old water polo goalkeeper was thrilled to be selected.
“There’s no other way to describe it, it’s a dream come true,” he said.
“I’ve wanted to be an Olympian since I was very young.
“I actually went to the 2000 Sydney Games with my parents when I was two years old and I grew up watching the Games every four years, religiously, at home.
“I admire all Australian Olympians but now that I’m becoming one it is a feeling that hasn’t sunk in, and probably won’t until we’re singing the national anthem in front of our loved ones before our first game on July 28.”
Porter was introduced to water polo almost by accident.
“I was in Year 4 and we had to choose what curricular sport we wanted to participate in for the term,” he said.
“I wanted to play touch footy with all my mates but Steve Robson, the director of sport at St Andrew’s and a great friend of my family, suggested water polo.
“I hated the first few sessions.
“I thought it was unnecessarily difficult and not too enjoyable.
“However, I quickly developed a love for the game, which has only blossomed since then.”
Porter forged through the ranks to make his debut for the Australian men’s team, the Sharks, in front of family and friends at Kawana in 2018.
He’s since notched 59 games for the team.
He’s also won an NCAA Championship in the United States, with the University of Southern California, and he plays professionally with juggernaut Club Natacio Atletic Barcelona.
Porter said being a goalkeeper was pressure packed.
“But I love playing on the edge of that pressure and challenging myself against the best players in the world,” he said.
“To be able to represent Australia is the greatest honour for any Australian athlete. But for me, the biggest thing is being able to honour my family, my partner and my friends.
“I’m so lucky to have the most supportive family in the world. The sacrifices they’ve made for me to achieve my goals have been incredibly selfless. They used to drive me to Brisbane almost every night towards my last few years of school, often arriving home around midnight during the week.”
The Sharks are set to collide with favourites Spain and hosts France, among others, in the group stage.
“In true Aussie style, we’re heading into the Games as underdogs, but I love that,” he said. “We plan on causing some big upsets to the traditional powerhouses”.
Kayaker Alyce Wood, of Alexandra Headland, is ready for her Olympic swansong after featuring at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
The 31-year-old said she was grateful to compete at the highest level.
“As a young girl, going to one Olympics felt like a pipe dream, and going to three felt like an impossible feat,” she said.
“So, to be now preparing for my third Olympics still feels incredibly surreal.
“Paris feels like the perfect moment for me to call time on my career, with my family in the stands and (daughter) Florence on the bank ready to give me a big hug.”
Star swimmer Kaylee McKeown is expected to press significant claims for medals.
The 23-year-old won three golds at Tokyo and is set to race in three events at Paris, including the 100m backstroke, which she holds the world record for, the 200m backstroke and the 200m individual medley.
She almost beat her own world record at the national trials in June, and sounded an ominous warning.
“I have booked myself another ticket to Paris so that’s just another chance to go faster,” she said.
Open-water swimmer Chelsea Gubecka was the first Australian athlete selected for the Games about 10 months ago.
Sunshine Coast’s Paris 2024 Olympians
Name, age, sport, residence or home, hometown (provided by the Australian Olympic Committee)
- Dominique Toit, 27, rugby sevens, Little Mountain
- Alexandria Perkins, 24, swimming, Caloundra West
- Peyton Craig, 24, athletics 800m, Sunshine Coast
- Haylie Powell, 18, skateboarding street, Mooloolah Valley
- Kristina Clonan, 26, cycling track sprint, Buderim
- Zac Incerti, 28, swimming, Sippy Downs
- Brianna Throssell, 28, swimming, Mooloolaba
- Isaac Cooper, 20, swimming, Mountain Creek
- Alyce Wood, 31, canoe sprint K1 500, Maroochydore
- Alexandra (Aly) Clarke, 24, canoe sprint K4 500, Sunshine Coast
- Alyssa (Aly) Bull, 28, canoe sprint, canoe sprint K4 500, Alexandra Headland
- Jamie Perkins, 19, swimming, Alexandra Headland
- Lani Pallister, 22, swimming, Alexandra Headland
- Nicholas Sloman, 26, swimming open water 10km, Peregian Beach
- Nicholas (Nic) Porter, 26, water polo, Peregian Springs
- Abbey Connor, 19, swimming, Parrearra
- Chelsea Gubecka, 25, swimming open water 10km, Salisbury, Sunshine Coast
- Kaylee McKeown, 23, swimming, Labrador, Caboolture, but years at Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli was proud of the local athletes.
“The Sunshine Coast has a strong reputation for producing extraordinary athletes and para-athletes, so I am not surprised to see so many local faces on the Australian team,” she said.
“I’d like to wish each of them the very best of luck in their events.
“The Sunshine Coast is behind you, and will be cheering you on loudly, and with great pride.”
Council will host a free, family-friendly Olympics LIVE event at Coolum Beach on July 27, to show support for the athletes and to celebrate the occasion.
The Australian team is the third largest to compete at a Games held overseas, and about 50 per cent of them will make their Olympic debuts.
Chef de Mission Anna Meares said Australia consistently fielded athletes across multiple team and individual sports.
“I think we take it for granted, but we really do punch above our weight,” she said.
“Competing in Paris in 33 sports – that’s to the great credit of our sports: the athletes themselves and the sport system here with our Australian Institute of Sport and state and territory institutes and academies across the country.”
“Within every sport there are coaches, volunteers and many others who put their hands up to make these Olympic dreams become reality.
“It’s exciting that so many families will have the opportunity to travel to France to see our athletes compete – something that just wasn’t possible with Tokyo 2020.”
Australians will be able to watch the Games on Nine, Stan Sport and at the LIVE sites across the country.
Sunshine Coasters are also expected to be officially named in the Australian team for the Paris Paralympic Games, which will be held from August 28 to September 8.
