SWIMMING

Melissa Gorman has dismantled one of the longest standing Commonwealth records on the final night of competition at the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships in Sydney as Swimming Australia announce a 53-strong team for the Pan Pacific Championships. Head Coach Leigh Nugent will take 26 men, and 27 women to Irvine California in August with Gorman's final night record one of the many highlights to come out of this six day meet. Gorman eclipsed Hayley Lewis' 1993 1500m freestyle time by 1.6 seconds to stop the clock at 16:03.24, winning gold and a place on both the Open Water and Pool team for the Pan Pacs. The world champion over 5km was without peer in the race as she won by an astonishing 38.47 seconds over second place getter Kylie Palmer (16:41.71) and the Denis Cotterell coached Danielle De Francesco who touched third in 16:46.58. 

"I spoke to Rix (Brenton Richard) after his great swim and he said just go out hard and see what you can do and that's what I did. I'm just so happy," said Gorman.   

"A lot of the female distance records have been held for a long time, but we are starting to chip away at them. So it's great for Australian distance swimming in the future." 

The 2010 Pan Pacific Championships Team is as follows, 18 are from Queensland:

FEMALE ATHLETES -27

Angie Bainbridge (NSW) Bronte Barratt (QLD) Cate Campbell (QLD) Alicia Coutts (QLD) Danielle De Francesco (QLD) Sophie Edington (QLD) Blair Evans (WA) Felicity Galvez (NSW) Katie Goldman (QLD) Melissa Gorman (QLD) Marieke Guehrer (VIC) Samantha Hamill (QLD) Belinda Hocking (QLD) Leisel Jones (VIC) Sarah Katsoulis (VIC) Yolane Kukla (QLD) Grace Loh (VIC) Samantha Marshall (NSW) Alice Mills (QLD) Meagen Nay (QLD) Kylie Palmer (QLD) Leiston Pickett (QLD) Stephanie Rice (QLD) Jessicah Schipper (QLD) Emily Seebohm (QLD) Kelly Stubbins (VIC) Tessa Wallace (QLD) .

The Great Swim-Off!

The Great Swim off between Susie O'Neill and Peter Dick is scheduled to take place on Friday April 16th. Its all in the name of charity - Muscular Dystrophy QLD, of which Karni Liddell an Afternoon and 4BC Regular is a patron of.  Its shaping  up to be a great event at Yeronga Pool, Peter will receive a 25m head start and Susie is not allowed to dive or tumble turn! 

To raise funds, Muscular Dystrophy will be auctioning off other lanes to companies/people/listeners whoever will pay the highest price on the day. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for someone to swim in a race against one of Australia 's greatest swimmers of all time and of course against the magnificent Peter Dick!  The auctioning has now started! 1 lane per day this week.

Please tell your clients/your friends/ your family/ business owners whoever to join in the fun and place their bid! More information - click here.

Gymnastics Queensland

The latest E-newsletter has information on GA/AIS Training Camp & Pacific Rim Selection, NRMA Community Grant, Coach Education Conference and Coaches Courses - Click here for further information.

The season launch of the new look Queensland Firebirds will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre this Thursday, March 18 from 9am 10am.

Media is invited to come along and meet with all 12 of the Mission Queensland Firebirds as well as coach Roselee Jencke with plenty of opportunities for photos, footage and interviews. 

The season launch will include the official announcement of the 2010 Mission Queensland Firebirds captain. Coach Roselee Jencke will speak about her expectations for the 2010 season and we will officially introduce each of the Firebirds athletes.

Speakers:

• Queensland Firebirds Coach Roselee Jencke
• 2010 Queensland Firebirds captain to be officially announced on the day
• Netball Queensland President Jan Maggacis
• Mission Foods representative Matt Forster 

Special Guest speaker:

• Queensland Minister for Sport Phil Reeves

Official Launch: 9.00am 9.30am  - Photo & interview opportunities: 9.30am 10am

In the eyes of many women Hannah Every-Hall has done something that deserves a gold medal. After giving birth to her son Charlie 12 months ago, the 32-year-old managed to shed 12kg while caring for the newborn and his three-year-old brother Harrison.
Taking a break from her job as a qualified dietician who dabbles in personal training, the Noosa-based mum is trying to inspire others with her own story of how an overweight teenager rose to the highest occasion, not once but twice, to become a world rowing champion. The first time was when this former rural Victorian netball player, who took up competitive rowing at university, won the under 23 lightweight double scull in 1999, then the lightweight quad scull in 2002. Most mothers with two growing boys to look after would rest on their laurels and come to grips with the extra family demands. But Hannah has some unfinished business in London. A little thing called the Olympic Games that were denied her in 2002 when she was at the peak of her powers up until that point at least. A serious ovary disorder forced her out of competition for a year but she was on track to make her mark at the Athens Olympic trials when she was floored by an anaphylactic reaction to her cat. "After that I had to decide whether I wanted to press on for another four years (to the Beijing Olympics) or if I wanted to have a family."

But after Charlie came along, a voice kept telling her to go for it her elusive Olympic dream. It sounded exactly like her main motivator husband Michael, who contacted the Noosa News late last year to relay the results of what could be called not a comeback but a "mum-back". "Such has been the speed of her comeback she has only been back in training for five months after six years away from top level rowing that she has been selected to attend this week's national training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport," he said. This was after she had blown the opposition away and any doubts about whether she still had the grit needed, by taking gold in the lightweight single and the double sculls states titles at Bundaberg. Hannah, who lists rowing legend Drew Ginn as one of her heroes, will tune up for the Australian titles in March with a hit out at the New South Wales titles next month. Then it is down to the serious business of the national selection trials in April before the world titles in New Zealand in November.

But the big picture is London 2012 and the only gold medal that really matters. And with 10 top-line contenders vying for two seats in her preferred double scull her motto: "If not now, when? If not me, who?" will be solidly put to the test. "The kids definitely give me a lot of balance and they are at an age where Michael can look after them when I train in the morning. And after I put them to bed I often go out and train." Hannah said being based in Noosa was no disadvantage to her goal. Whenever she needs an elite tune-up she ducks down to the Academy of Sport in Brisbane for testing. "It depends on who I may get matched up with in the boat I may have to move away for the sake of training."

In the end she is rowing for every mum who wanted to prove their body and mind is more than a match for younger athletes. Her overall goal in life on her website is simple and to the point: "Combine motherhood and top level competition to prove that mothers can achieve at the highest level." To get there she needs as much professional support available to become a corporate ambassador.

Surfer Stephanie Gilmore crowned the World Action Sportsperson of the year at Laureus awards

SURFING golden girl Stephanie Gilmore has become the first Australian in six years to win a prestigious Laureus World Sports award, elevating her to among the world's elite athletes. The victory put Gilmore, 22, alongside the likes of superstar sprinter Usain Bolt, tennis ace Serena Williams and comeback star Kim Clijsters, who were also recognised by the Laureus World Sports academy.

In a star-studded red carpet ceremony for the "Oscars of Sport" at the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi last night, Gilmore beat a field of five, including fellow Australian surfer Mick Fanning, to be crowned the World Action Sportsperson of the year.

The win capped off a remarkable 2009 for Gilmore as she secured her third world championship win in a year when Australia ruled the waves.

Gilmore kicked off the current season in fine style on the weekend when she took out the first round of the 2010 ASP Women's World series on her home beach of Snapper Rocks, on the Gold Coast.

SQUASH - Mixed fortunes for Aussies in India

There were mixed fortunes for the two Australians in action in the quarter-finals of the Chennai Open squash tournament in Chennai, India on Friday night.
New South Wales's Kasey Brown continued her recent good form when she downed New Zealand rival Jaclyn Hawkes in a tough four game clash, however Queenslander Rachael Grinham suffered a shock loss to seventh seeded Frenchwoman Camille Serme.
Brown, who last week won the Dayton Open in Ohio, took 70 minutes to overcome Hawkes 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, showing why she has risen to number 10 in the world.
She now has the daunting task of taking on undisputed world number one Nicol David in the semi-finals after the Malaysian superstar downed Mexico's Samantha Teran 11-9, 11-4, 12-10.
Meanwhile, Grinham won the first game comfortably but lost the second in a tiebreak then fell away to lose 4-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-3.
Serme plays England's Jenny Duncalf in the second semi-final.
Quarter-final results prefix denotes seeding:
Women
1-Nicol David (MAS) bt 8-Samantha Teran (MEX) 11-9, 11-4, 12-10
7-Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4
6-Camille Serme (FRA) bt 3-Rachael Grinham (AUS) 4-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-3
2-Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt 5-Laura Massaro (ENG) 12-10, 11-9, 11-9

Handball

The Australian Handball Teams have been making a mark in the sporting world arena. It may have escaped Australians attention that, in fact The Australian Women's Handball Team represented Australia in the Women's World Championship for the fifth time in December last year.

Our athletes have captured the handball world's admiration and respect for their passion for their sport and their country. Their courage has always shown through as they compete against stronger handball nations who have paid professional players.

There were eight Queensland players in the Women's Team which competed in the last world championship. Rosa Boyd [Player No. 16], Raelene Boulton [Player No. 8], Jemima Harbort [Player No.1], twin sisters Mary and Veronica Kelly [Players 9 and 6 respectively], Madeleine McAfee [Player No. 14], Cathy Kent [Player No. 12] and Melissa Mellor [Player No.19]. For more information about handball please visit www.qldhandball.com.au.

 Cycle Racing - Balmoral Masters Women - dates for your 'Cycling' diary - click here.