Amy Cure and Deon Kenzie win gold medals at their respective national championships

It's been a golden few days for North-West Coast athletes Amy Cure and Deon Kenzie on the mainland after success at national championship level.

Cure started the celebrations late of Friday night after she claimed the 10km scratch race title at the Track National Championships in Brisbane.

The victory gave the West Pine rider her 12th gold medal at national championship level and came in a thrilling sprint finish where she held off Launceston's Georgia Baker and NSW rider Ashlee Ankudinoff, while Devonport's Macey Stewart was in seventh.

"It was really good, I was happy to cross the line first but I wasn't sure how I was going to go as I've been a bit sick so I'm really happy with my performance tonight," Cure said.

Cure almost secured a second gold medal on Saturday night in the women's 25km points race, but had to settle for silver after being overtaken on the final-lap sprint by Ankudinoff, with Stewart back in eighth place.

Chelsea Pitman and Layla Guscoth named co-captains for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Super Netball

Adelaide Thunderbirds have joined an Adelaide trend and named co-captains with England team members Chelsea Pitman and Layla Guscoth to lead the side in the Super Netball season.

Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst admits she has deviated from her own captaincy perception, but believes the dual captain system was the best fit for the new group.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide have opted for two captains this season.

HEARTBREAK OF RIO SPURRING CURE ON TO 2020

After a horrific crash in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Amy Cure is using the situation as motivation to get back to the biggest sporting event.

It was just a month ago Australian cyclist Cure won gold in the Women's team pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

The team of Cure, Annette Edmondson, Ashlee Ankudinoff and Georgia Baker beat Olympic Champions Great Britain with a time of 4:14.333 in the final.

It was a great win for Australia, having brought home a silver in 2017 after the United States took gold.

"It was an amazing feeling to get the gold," Cure said.

"We went in there and we had a time we wanted to achieve so went over there and achieved that time in qualifying.

"We were pretty happy about that and we realised that we were in with a chance for the gold medal.

"I wouldn't say we believed we couldn't do that because we knew we would be right up there, but it was a great feeling to bring home that gold medal."

It was a great result from the side just over a year out from the Olympics in Tokyo and getting a win over the World Record holders. 

However, 26-year-old Cure is fuelled to go one better at Tokyo 2020 after a high-speed crash involving the pursuit team happened just three days out from the competition in 2016.

DEALING WITH ADVERSITY

It’s crazy how from one day to another, your life can completely change before your eyes, when you least expect it. From the first moment we enter this world we are learning about life. We get older and go to school for what seems like a lifetime. Where all you do is dream, dream about the wonderful future you can’t wait to have one day. You go through school making decisions. What subjects are you going to study? What is going to help you live the bright future you have always dreamt of? This is all a part of life, learning and growing. 

I never knew what I wanted to study at school as I got older,  all I knew is that one day I wanted to go to the Olympics, then settle down and start a beautiful family. I always thought I was going to be a long distance track runner. I really loved running and it was all I ever did at school. One thing was for sure, I really loved sport. I always found it hard when I had to go back into the classroom from being outside, let’s just say that sitting still was not my strongest ability. 

MOANA-VEALE TO GIVE HER ALL TO MAKE TOKYO 2020

After continuous injuries hindered triathlete Tamsyn Moana-Veale's attempt to represent Australia at a home Commonwealth Games, she is hoping that 2019 will lead to a big year.

The 25-year-old is aiming to make the Australian team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which is just 487 days away.

The triathlete knows it will be a tough task with only three spots up for grabs and a strong calibre of Australian female athletes wanting to compete on the biggest stage.  

To give it her best chance at going to Tokyo, she is looking to get back to competing at the World Triathlon Series (WTS) this year and pushing out some good performances to be at her best. 

SA skateboarder Kat Williams looks to land a spot on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team and a win at next week’s state titles

Kat Williams may seem fearless to some.

She splits her time between abseiling high-rise buildings as a window cleaner and getting air on her skateboard.

But it isn’t the adrenalin rush that has Williams hooked on the two activities – it’s the feeling of freedom.

“I wouldn’t say I’m an adrenalin junkie,” Williams, of Underdale, says.

“I love the freedom (of skateboarding) and that you can kind of do it all by yourself at any time.

“With working and abseiling, I know what I’m doing so it’s really safe.

“It’s more of the freedom feeling of hanging around and being above the city that draws me to it.”

WALSH JENNINGS, CLANCY AND ARTACHO DEL SOLAR PRESENTED WITH OLY POST-NOMINAL LETTERS AT SYDNEY

Sydney, Australia, March 9, 2019 – The World Olympians Association (WOA) on Saturday recognised 11 Olympians, including Kerri Walsh Jennings, Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho Del Solar with the post-nominal ‘OLY’ at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Sydney 3-star at Manly Beach.

Baker, Cure headline Tasmania's track nationals team

Two newly-crowned world champions headline Tasmania's senior cycling squad for next month's track national championships in Brisbane.

Perth's Georgia Baker and North-West cyclist Amy Cure will join Launceston's Lauren Perry and Devonport's Macey Stewart in a four-strong women's outfit, marking the first time the quartet have been at track nationals together since successfully defending their team pursuit title in 2015.

Team pursuit is not on the calendar for the April 3 to 6 event, having already been run in December, but Tasmania coach Matt Gilmore was confident medals would still make their way back over Bass Strait.

Adelaide cyclist Alex Manly continues her winning way claiming her second gold medal at world track cycling champs

ADELAIDE cyclist Alex Manly was still in disbelief yesterday after winning her second gold medal of the UCI track world championships in Poland.

Three days after she was part of Australia’s women’s team pursuit quartet that won the world title in Pruszkow, Manly claimed individual glory as well by winning the 100-lap points race that went down to the final sprint.

“I can’t believe what just happened, it is still a blur, it is so super special,” Manly said.

Tasmanian pair Georgia Baker and Amy Cure add silver medal to their world gold in Poland

Tasmanian team pursuit world champions Amy Cure and Georgia Baker almost added a second gold in the women's madison final.

“It was a pretty full on race - right from the get-go, it was on," Perth's Baker said. 

"There were many crashes out there, but Amy stayed safe, riding the front of the race as much as we could."

The pair took maximum points in the opening sprint of the 120-lap, 12 sprint race before Dutch powerhouses Amy Pieters and Kirsten Wild put claim to multiple sprint wins and a 13-point lead at the halfway mark during the world championships in Poland.

Baker, Cure cook up team gold in Poland

Georgia Baker and Amy Cure are world champions after their Australian team claimed victory in the women's team pursuit at the UCI Track World Championships in Poland on Thursday night.

The Tasmanians teamed up with South Australia's Annette Edmondson and New South Wales' Ashlee Ankudinoff to defeat Great Britain by two tenths of a second, securing Cure's third world championships gold medal.

Tassie pair Georgia Baker and Amy Cure in pursuit of worlds track glory

TASMANIAN cycling stars Georgia Baker and Amy Cure will be hunting more gold as the Australian women’s team pursuit squad begins its assault on the UCI Track World Championships in Poland.

Baker and Cure are joined by South Australians Annette Edmondson and Alexandra Manly and NSW cyclist Ashlee Ankudinoff in team pursuit qualifying in Pruszkow.

The women’s team pursuit first round and finals will be held in the early hours of Friday morning Tasmanian time. Baker and Cure will also compete together in the 30km madison on Saturday night.

Cure, Baker set for Poland's track world championships

Tasmanian cyclist Amy Cure has completed her final training session ahead of the UCI track world championships in Poland.

Joining Perth's Georgia Baker as Tasmania's only representatives in Australia's 17-rider squad, Cure will begin her campaign on Wednesday when qualifying for the women's team pursuit gets under way. 

Welcome Back Grace Abbey!

Adelaide City has bolstered their defence with the resigning of Grace Abbey, ahead of the 2019 edition of the Women’s National Premier League.

Abbey was a crucial part of City’s defence last season in their bid to secure back-to-back Championship, and even came away with Player of the Match in the grand final win against long-time rivals Metro United.

Amy Pauwels claims bronze at Six Day Melbourne, with Macey Stewart narrowly missing a medal

She may not have been able to claim a win in any race at Six Day Melbourne, but Amy Pauwels did enough to hold on for an overall podium finish on Saturday.

Starting the final day of racing in second overall, Pauwels teamed up with Kristina Clonan to finish third in the madison and finished fifth in the scratch race to end the event behind overall winner Annette Edmondson and silver medalist Alexandra Manly.

Tamsyn Moana-Veale places second in elite women's 2XU Triathlon Series race at Elwood

BATHURST’S Tamsyn Moana-Veale made it three elite women’s podiums in four rounds of the 2XU Triathlon Series on Sunday as she produced another impressive performance at Elwood.

Poland calls for Baker, Cure

Tasmanian cyclists Georgia Baker and Amy Cure’s hopes of attending another Olympics have been given a boost after the pair were named in Australia’s team for the UCI track world championships. 

The duo were named in a 17-strong team which will depart for Poland on February 20, with the championships to begin a week later.  

Cycling Australia performance director Simon Jones said the team’s focus would be on learning rather than winning.

“As we build towards Tokyo the focus will increasingly be on performance, but performing with a clear strategy and winning processes,” Jones said.

Kershaw vows to bounce back from second ACL tear

TOWNSVILLE Hockeyroo Stephanie Kershaw will lean on former players who have recovered from multiple knee injuries to star at the top level after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in her career.

The 23-year-old suffered the injury to her left knee at training in Perth on Saturday as the Hockeyroos prepared for next week’s inaugural FIH Pro League.

In 2015 the midfielder’s Olympic dream was dashed when she tore her right ACL in 2015, ending any hope of making her Olympic debut at Rio the following year.

“Sport can be cruel. I found that out pretty quickly after scans confirmed that I tore my left ACL,” Kershaw posted on Instagram.

Bozicevic family affair at International

After spending the past four weeks following her sister Isabella Bozicevic around the Australian circuit, the Caterpillar Burnie International has been Macy’s chance to get on the court.

The grade 4 pupil from Queensland came on board as a ball girl, which has given her the opportunity to be involved as her father Carl and sister Isabella focus on training and matches.

Macy said she was just spending time in the players’ lounge until she was approached to get involved as a ball girl.

Tamsyn Moana-Veale makes a winning start to 2019

IF the smile on the face of Tamsyn Moana-Veale was anything to go by, Sunday’s success in the third round of the 2018-19 2XU Triathlon Series was clearly one she enjoyed.

The star Bathurst triathlete covered the sprint course in Saint Kilda – a 600 meters swim, 26.7 kilometre cycle and 5km run - in a time of one hour, 20 minutes, 24.3 seconds to pick up the elite female category win.

She was first out of the water, clocking a 12:31.2 split, then worked with two other competitors on the bike leg to gap the rest of the field.

Moana-Veale then powered through the run to finish 49 seconds clear of her nearest rival.