The hotly contested Oceania Shooting Championships wrapped up with a haul of Australian spots earned for Paris 2024 to highlight the weekend action.
Shooting – Oceania champions put Australia on path to Paris
Aussie shooters have secured 10 national spots for the Paris Olympics and sent Oceania records tumbling at the Oceania Championships in Brisbane.
Dane Sampson broke the Oceania Championships record to win the men's 50m rifle three positions, scoring 455.3 in the final.
Emily Crane, competing at her first international event, became the women's 50m rifle three positions Oceania champion and set an Oceania Championships junior record with her score of 438.2.
Emily and Dane’s record setting performances are two of 11 different Aussies to qualify Australia quotas for Shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Dannielle Donohue (women's 10m air pistol), Bailey Groves (men's 10m air pistol), Elise Collier (women's 10m air rifle), Jack Rossiter (men's 10m air rifle), Aislin Jones (women's skeet), Frank Morris (men's skeet), Laetisha Scanlan (women's trap) and Scott Anderson (men's 25m rapid fire pistol) all won their events to deliver a Paris 2024 quota.
They join Catherine Skinner who landed a women’s trap quota spot for Australia at the 2022 World Championships.
Watch the 2023 Oceania Shooting Championships on demand here.
Tennis – Ellen Perez and Matt Ebden to play for tour titles
It’s been a weekend of high calibre Australian doubles tennis as two Aussies vaulted their way into tour finals, while there’s a new Australian world no.1 tennis plyer.
Ellen Perez is through to the WTA Finals title match with partner Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) in Mexico after prevailing 6-1 6-7 (10-6) in the semi-finals against Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) and Erin Routliffe (NZL) on Monday morning.
Ellen nearly had fellow Aussie Storm Sanders to come against in the final, however Storm lost her semi-final with Elise Mertens (GER) 6-3 3-6 (5-10) against Vera Zvonareva and Laura Siegemund (GER).
In making the semi-finals, Storm will become the world's no.1 ranked women's doubles player at the next rankings update – the first no.1 ranked Australian women’s doubles player since Sam Stosur in 2006.
Matt Ebden won through to the men’s doubles final at the Paris Masters with Rohan Bopanna (IND) against Harri Heliovaara (FIN) and Mate Pavic (CRO), and finished runners-up in a tight 2-6 7-5 (7-10) loss to Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) and Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA).
Cycling - Track - Matthew Richardson cycles to gold at Track Champions League
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Matthew Richardson has ended Dutch cyclist Harrie Lavreysen's perfect record at the Track Champions League, clinching first place at the Paris Olympic venue in an intense match sprint final.
Matthew sits in second place behind Lavreysen, the Olympic champion, in the series standings. Round four takes place in London on Friday 10 November at the 2012 Olympic venue before the finale on Saturday.
Triathlon – Ashleigh Gentle claims record 10th Noosa Tri crown
Dual Olympian Ashleigh Gentle has claimed a record 10th title at the 40th anniversary edition of the Noosa Triathlon, while Matt Hauser finished second to Kiwi Hayden Wilde in the men’s event.
Ashleigh lived up to her billing as the Queen of the Noosa Triathlon as she ran her way to victory, a 10th title and her ninth in a row, in a time of 1:55:13.
“It’s an incredible feat and I’m actually really proud that each year no matter what happens I kind of find a way to bring the best out of myself at Noosa,” Ashleigh said.
Matt put in a strong performance behind Olympic bronze medallist Wilde, who set a new course record of 1.41.56. Matt’s finishing time of 1:42.09 also bettered the previous course record.
Sailing – Sailors of the year & four added to Hall of Fame
Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Matt Wearn claimed Australian Sailing’s Male Sailor of the Year award for the first time since 2018, off the back of winning bronze at the European Championships and claiming the Olympic Test Event title in Marseille.
Mara Stransky took out the Female Sailor of the Year award, after a season in which she collected 18 race podiums and top-10 finishes at the European Championships and Trofeo Princesa Sofia.
The Australian Sailing Hall of Fame welcomed its four newest members; Iain Murray, Tom Slingsby, Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson. They join the 22 other sailors/sailing teams who have received the highest recognition in the sport.
Beach Volleyball – Bronze for Aussie duo
After a clean sweep in the pool rounds, Aussie beach volleyball duo Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert sailed through to the semi-finals where they went down 2-1 to, USA’s Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb.
The third place playoff saw Thomas and Zachery take the 2:0 victory over the American team of Chaim Schalk and Tri Bourne in a close final play, claiming the bronze medal.
