Whether you were born here, grew up here or moved here, once you’re a Gold Coaster, you’re always a Gold Coaster. And this year, in Paris, there are some 45 Gold Coast Olympians. To put that into perspective, if the Gold Coast was its own country, our team would be bigger than 150 others. Impressive, right? Here are the locals putting the ‘gold’ in Gold Coast.
It’s little surprise that Gold Coasters are well represented in water sports – not just swimming, but artistic swimming, too. Six of the eight members of our artistic swimming team – Kiera Gazzard, Milena Waldmann, Carolyn Rayna Buckle, Georgia Courage-Gardiner and Zoe Poulis – call our city home, making this event an absolute one to watch for locals eager to support Gold Coast Olympians.
From sprints to marathons, Gold Coasters are showing out on the athletic track. 400m runner Ellie Beer was born and raised on the southern Gold Coast, while marathon runner Genevieve Gregson grew up in the city’s northern suburbs.
And of course, we can’t forget our transplants. Bree Masters (who will compete in the 100m sprint and 4x100m relay) moved here to pursue her athletics dreams at age 17. Hurdler Liz Clay did the same, moving up from Sydney after completing her uni studies.
Jack McVeigh has played against some of the world’s best, but he’s a Gold Coast boy through and through. Born in northern New South Wales and raised on the Gold Coast – The Southport School (TSS) is his alma mater – Jack has since lived all over Australia chasing his basketball dreams. He calls Tasmania home right now, but no doubt loves returning to the Sunshine State to defrost.
Born in (and seemingly named after?) Logan Reserve, Logan Martin OAM made the move south to the Gold Coast in 2017. He’s made headlines, not only for winning the first Olympic gold medal for Freestyle BMX at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but for his jaw-dropping backyard Freestyle BMX park.
BMX racer Izaac Kennedy’s journey to Paris started here on the Gold Coast when he was just three years old. The road has been long (and injury plagued), so expect high emotions when he takes to the track.
Tallebudgera-born Saya Sakakibara may have spent most of her life just south of Sydney, but we believe ‘once a Gold Coaster, always a Gold Coaster’ – and we’ll be cheering her on all the same.
Did you know that the majority of our canoe/kayak team – Noah Havard, Ally Clarke, Riley Fitzsimmons, Ella Beere, Alyce Wood, Jackson Collins, Tom Green and brothers Jean van der Westhuyzen and Pierre van der Westhuyzen – live and train on the Gold Coast? Chances are you’ve even seen them paddling through the Gold Coast in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here’s hoping our waterways have prepared them for the big event.
Gold Coast-born Domonic Bedggood has overcome more than most to make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics. He made the jump (no pun intended) from gymnastics to diving after recovering from a broken back, an injury he sustained in a high bar routine gone wrong. Sadly, Bedggood’s Olympic journey is over – until the next games, at least – since he and diving partner Cassiel Rousseau came in sixth in the 10m synchronised platform dive on Monday.
It seemed the whole country came together to cheer on the Matilda’s during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and we’ve been excited to see them play together again – this time, on the Olympic stage. It was especially exciting to see three hometown heroes – Mackenzie Arnold, Hayley Raso and Tameka Yallop – don the Matildas jersey at the 2024 Games. Though their path to the podium has come to a heartbreaking end (they lost 2-1 to the US in the early hours of Thursday morning), they did us proud.
Biggera Waters’ Corey Weyer has been dubbed the ‘comeback kid’ of the Australian men’s hockey team. From the Labrador Hockey Club to the Paris Olympics, his journey has been anything but linear. He was dropped from the Kookaburras in 2020, after three years playing for the national side – but then, three years later, he was called back again (just in time for the Paris Games). He’s certainly one to watch!
Born in Sydney and raised on the Gold Coast, sisters Teagan and Maddison Levi are chasing their Olympic dreams side by side. But the Australian rugby sevens line up isn’t the only place you might have seen them – both were drafted to the Gold Coast Suns AFLW team in 2020. Needless to say, they chose to pursue rugby instead. Both have played pivotal roles in Australia’s 2024 Olympic journey, but they narrowly missed out on a bronze medal after an agonisingly close loss to the US.
Another Gold Coaster taking to the rugby field – this time, for the men’s side – is Hayden Sargeant. He spent his early years playing for the Surfers Paradise Dolphins, then for TSS and later Bond. Though injuries and the pandemic temporarily put his dreams on hold, he made it to Paris for his first Olympic Games. Like the women’s team, the men’s rugby sevens came in an honourable – though agonisingly close – fourth.
At this point, Palm Beach’s Arisa Trew might be used to making history – not only is she the youngest Australian competitor at the 2024 Paris Olympics (aged just 14), but she was also the first female athlete to land a 720 in a competition in 2023. A true Gold Coaster, she says she only got into skateboarding because winter made it too cold to surf.
Arisa is joined by fellow Gold Coast Olympians Keegan Palmer and Chloe Covell – who are both history makers in their own rights. Keegan was the youngest ever winner of the iconic Bondi Bowl-A-Rama, and Australia’s first ever gold medal in skateboarding at the Tokyo Games. Then there’s Chloe Covell. Our other 14-year-old competitor at this year’s Olympics, Chloe was also the youngest athlete to win two X Games medals. She was 12.
We mentioned the Gold Coast was well represented in water sports, and this is especially true in swimming. It’s hardly a surprise, not only because of our many beaches, but because of our top-notch training centres. While some, like Alex Perkins, were born on the Gold Coast before moving away, others migrated here to train at the likes of the Miami Swimming Club, and Bond and Griffith Universities. Emma McKeon, Ben Armbruster, Flynn Southam, Lani Pallister, Max Giuliani, Jenna Strauch and Kaylee McKeown all call the Gold Coast home.
And who could forget our born and bred Gold Coast Olympians? Benowa’s own Cam McEvoy traces his Olympic dreams back to age seven, when he diligently watched Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe train at the Miami pool. He would eventually become Australia’s first male swimmer to go to four Olympics. Elijah Winnington, another Benowa local, is bringing home a bronze in his second Olympic Games. And don’t miss our local long-distance swimmer Moesha Johnson, who is making her Olympic debut this year.
Rounding out our Gold Coast Olympians is tennis player Olivia Gadecki. Born in Tweed and raised on the Gold Coast, 22-year-old Olivia is a true rising star. In 2021, a then-unranked Olivia scored a surprise win against reigning Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin, putting her on the map. She’s been steadily climbing the world rankings ever since. This year’s games will be her first ever Olympics, and we’ll be cheering her on all the way.
