|
Late nights and early mornings are set to be commonplace across the Tweed over the next few weeks as the nation tunes in to watch our Olympians go for gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Flying the flag for Australia and the Tweed will be six incredibly talented athletes: Chloe Covell (skateboarding), Jeff Dunne (breakdancing), Jack Robinson (surfing), Flynn Southam (swimming), Moesha Johnson (marathon swimming) and Jack McVeigh (basketball), while young Murwillumbah swimmer Isabella Rose Miller will be representing the Solomon Islands in the pool.
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said it was an incredible achievement for any athlete to make the Olympic team and represent their chosen sport on the world stage.
“On behalf of the entire Tweed Shire, we are extremely proud of these athletes and will be cheering them on in their quest for Olympic glory,” Cr Cherry said.
“They are continuing a proud legacy of Tweed athletes who have represented the country at the highest level, and we wish them every success.”
Tweed Heads' skateboarder Chloe Covell is the youngest competitor in the Australian Olympic team at just 14 years old. She could become the youngest ever gold medalist should she win.
Chloe, who was the joint winner of the Tweed Shire Australia Day 2022 Sporting Achievement of the Year Individual Award, has already proven herself on the international stage and will be competing under the Eiffel Tower at 1 am on Monday 29 July (AEST).
Another youngster is Casuarina breakdancer Jeff Dunne, 16, who will be the youngest competitor in his field. The sport is making its Olympic debut in Paris. The Year 10 student has been breakdancing since he was 7 and was “super stoked” to be competing in the event which will also be staged under the Eiffel Tower.
Far from Paris, Tweed Heads’ Jack Robinson, 26, will be surfing the waves at Tahiti’s famous Teahupo'o reef pass break as part of the Australian Olympic team. Formerly from Western Australia, Jack and his family now call the Tweed home, and he is confident of carrying the form he showed in winning the 2023 Pipeline Pro in Hawaii.
Former Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School student Flynn Southam, 19, from Tweed Heads will be part of Australia’s strong relay contingent in the pool at Paris. Flynn made his Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham in 2022 as the youngest member of the swim team and since then, has won gold as part of the Australian men’s freestyle relay team at the 2023 World Championships.
Moesha Johnson, 26, from Piggabeen will be making her Olympic debut in open water marathon swimming and will be one of two Australian women taking to the River Seine for this unique event. Moesha was part of the Australian mixed 4 x 1500m relay team that won gold at the 2024 World Championships and will be taking to the indoor pool to go for gold in the individual 1500m swim.
Cabarita Beach basketballer Jack McVeigh, 28, will be shooting for gold with the Aussie Boomers on the Olympic court in Paris. Having enjoyed a stellar season with the Tasmania JackJumpers in the Australian NBL, Jack has enjoyed final preparations for Paris with the Boomers in Abu Dhabi, where he has again showed why he has been selected in the final squad.
Many Tweed residents will also be gunning for the Solomon Islands, with young swimmer Isabella Rose Miller, 16, set to make history as the lone female athlete to represent the island nation in Paris. Bella, whose family is well known in
Murwillumbah where she attends school and trains at the Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre, will be competing in the 50m freestyle event.
The Paris 2024 Games officially run from 26 July 26 to 11 August, French time – or from 27 July to 12 August for Australia – with the Opening Ceremony scheduled to start at 4.24 am (NSW time) on Saturday 27 July (Australia is 8 hours ahead of Paris).
For Games events and schedules, visit www.olympics.com.au.
#TeamTweed
|