Griffith University: Record Games representation for Birmingham
Griffith is sending a ‘mini army’ of athletes to the 2022 Commonwealth Para-sport Games with more than 50 current students and alumni making up team red in Birmingham.
It represents a near 20 per cent increase on representation from Gold Coast 2018 when Griffith assembled a team of 41 athletes.
“To have 51 athletes from Griffith Sports College, alumni and our swim team be on the plane to England is a tremendous achievement,” General Manager of Griffith Sports College Naomi McCarthy OAM said.
“No other Australian university could boast similar representation at an elite competition level.”
Griffith will have 30 current Sports College students, 15 alumni and six Swim Squad members under the tutelage of Michael Bohl on the ground in the English midlands city when competition begins on July 28.
Leading the charge will be Australia’s most decorated Olympian in Emma McKeon.
The champion swimmer, who graduated last year with a Bachelor in Public Health, is eying off four individual gold medals and is set to eclipse Susie O’Neill as the nation’s best-ever performed athlete at a Commonwealth Games.
Olympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook, in fine form after being crowned World Champion in Hungary, will be a hot favourite in the men’s 200m Breastroke while Bachelor of Nursing student Chelsea Hodges, GBS student Meg Harris and Bachelor of Exercise Science student Kiah Melverton should also figure prominently.
Back in the national team is Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice student Shayna Jack who won gold in the 4 by 100m Freestyle Relay at the recent world titles in Budapest
On the athletics track, discus thrower and Bachelor of Business student Matt Denny, racewalker Katie Hayward ( B Occupational Therapy) and sprinter Riley Day (Business) should be prominent in their events.
History could also be created when Madison de Rozario (B Business) looks to defend her Marathon T54 and 1500m T54 crowns.
Griffith athletes are eying off a record number of medals and surpassing the effort of the team on home soil in 2018.
“We picked up 40 medals at GC2018, with 23 gold, 7 silver and 10 bronze which was a tremendous achievement.
All signs are showing Griffith’s tally should eclipse that mark as we are fielding a larger team in Birmingham,” Ms McCarthy said.