Australian athletics has a rich and proud history of success dating back over 100 years.
In celebration of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame was established to recognise the outstanding achievements of Australia’s truly great athletes across the course of this history and since then almost 40 people have been added to the illustrious list.
On Sunday 2 April at the Athletics in Australia Celebration, a further three will have their named etched in history, with Steve Moneghetti, Tatiana Grigorieva and Marilyn Black to be formally inducted.
Moneghetti, Grigorieva and Black will join an honour roll that includes some of Australia’s most recognisable sporting heroes such as Catherine Freeman, Betty Cuthbert and Ron Clarke.
STEPHEN (STEVE) MONEGHETTI, AM (26 Sep 1962 –
Steve was born in Ballarat and was educated at St Patrick’s College and the University of Ballarat. He has a Civil Engineering Degree and a Diploma of Education.
Beginning his athletic career with Ballarat Harriers, in an under 14 cross-country race in Burrumbeet, Steve ran with the Harriers for five years, before switching clubs to Ballarat YCW.
Steve steadily improved as a teenager and by 1981 he finished third in the Australian Junior Cross-Country Championships over 8km. The following year he won the title and added a third place on the track in the junior 5,000 metres at the Nationals.
To read the full citation about Steve, please click here.
TATIANA GRIGORIEVA (8 Oct 1975 –
Tatiana Grigorieva was born in St Petersburg, Russia and her early athletic career was as a 400 metres hurdler.
In 1997 she made a major life decision – to migrate to Australia with her then pole vaulter husband Viktor Chistiakov, settling in Adelaide. Along with them came Dmitri Markov with his wife Vala and son Oleg and their coach Alex Parnov and his family.
Tatiana had no previous personal involvement in the pole vault until she arrived in Australia but made an auspicious start clearing 2.90m in Adelaide in February 1997. By December she had quickly raised her best to 3.90m.
To read the full citation about Tatiana, please click here.
MARILYN BLACK (20 May 1944 –
Marilyn Black was educated at Fort Street High in Sydney and was a member of Western Suburbs Athletics Club.
She first came to notice beyond her home state at the 1960 Australian Women’s Championships at North Hobart Oval in Tasmania, finishing fifth in the junior 100 yards in 11.6secs after a quick 11.2secs in her heat. In October she lowered her best to 10.7secs and was by then ranked sixth in the country.
Marilyn equalled that 10.7secs PB early in 1961 as well as running a windy 10.4secs. She also recorded a slick 24.2secs for 220 yards. But her major successes that year were undoubtedly victories in the New South Wales titles at 100 yards in 10.8secs and 220 yards in 24.6secs.
To read the full citation about Marilyn, please click here.
The Athletics in Australia Celebration will also feature the presentation of a number of Athletics Australia Awards, including the Athlete of the Year, with the illustrious list of nominees also confirmed today.
Nominee lists outlined below have been determined through collaboration by the Special Awards Committee and the Athletics Australia Member Associations. An independent panel comprising noted members of the athletics community will now vote to confirm the winners.
Female Athlete of the Year:
Alana Boyd (Qld, pole vault), Madeline Hills (NSW, distance), Genevieve LaCaze (Qld, distance), Kathryn Mitchell (Vic, javelin), Ella Nelson (NSW, sprints), Dani Samuels (NSW, discus throw), Brooke Stratton (Vic, long jump), Jess Trengove (SA, marathon), Eloise Wellings (NSW, distance)
Male Athlete of the Year:
Dane Bird-Smith (Qld, race walk), Henry Frayne (Qld, long jump), Ryan Gregson (NSW, distance), Fabrice Lapierre (NSW, long jump), Kurtis Marschall (SA, pole vault), Hamish Peacock (Tas, javelin), Jared Tallent (SA, race walk)
Female Para-Athlete of the Year:
Angela Ballard (NSW, wheelchair racing), Carlee Beattie (Qld, long jump), Madison de Rozario (WA, wheelchair racing), Taylor Doyle (NSW, long jump), Isis Holt (Vic, sprints), Claire Keefer (Qld, shot put), Ella Pardy (WA, sprints)
Male Para-Athlete of the Year:
Jaryd Clifford (Vic, distance), Brayden Davidson (SA, long jump), Kurt Fearnley (NSW, wheelchair racing), Todd Hodgetts (Tas, shot put), Deon Kenzie (Tas, distance), Evan O’Hanlon (ACT, sprints), Chad Perris (WA, sprints), Scott Reardon (ACT, sprints), Michael Roeger (SA, distance), James Turner (NSW, distance)
Female Junior Athlete of the Year:
Alex Hulley (NSW, hammer throw), Keely Small (ACT, distance), Jessica Thornton (NSW, 400m), Kristy Williams (Qld, discus throw), Alana Yukich (WA, hurdles)
Male Junior Athlete of the Year:
John Dodds (Qld, high jump), Jack Hale (Tas, sprints), Tyler Jones (Qld, race walk), Kurtis Marschall (SA, pole vault), Matthew Ramsden (WA, distance), Darcy Roper (Qld, long jump), Ned Weatherly (Vic, hammer throw)
Able-Bodied Coach of the Year:
Nic Bideau (Vic), Ray Boyd (Qld), Adam Didyk (SA), Michael Dooley (NSW), Peter Fitzgerald (Vic), Uwe Hohn (Vic), Evan Peacock (Tas), Kym Simons (SA), David Smith (Qld), Russell Stratton (Vic), Claire Tallent (SA)
Para-Athletics Coach of the Year:
Iryna Dvoskina (ACT), Mike Gunson (Tas), Sebastian Kuzminski (WA), Lynn Larsen (SA), Brett Robinson (NSW), Nick Wall (Vic)
Junior Coach of the Year:
Peter Bennifer (Vic), Val Chesterton (ACT), Breanne Clement (NSW), Karyne di Marco (NSW), Demetri Dionisopoulos (Vic), Shane Ellis (WA), Wayne Mason (Tas), Kym Simons (SA)
Official of the Year:
Rob Blackadder (NSW), Peter Boden (ACT), Kristen Crocker (NSW), Andrea Hallett (Vic), Ronda Jenkins (Vic), Gary McBroom (Vic), Janet Nixon (NSW), Helen Roberts (Qld), Brian Roe (Tas), Khan Sharp (Vic), Sandra Speers (Tas), June Streeter (WA), Wim Vaessen (Tas), Peter Westwood (Vic), Tony Williams (Vic)
Media Release via Athletics Australia @AthsAust
