In 2019, fourteen Meriden students have been selected to compete against the world’s most talented young athletes as they vie for international sporting titles. Twelve of our students will be wearing green and gold as Australian representatives in seven different sports, while two girls will be playing tennis for Samoa and Papua New Guinea.
Olympus Program Coordinator, Mr Ryan Richards, said Meriden athletes are dedicated to working consistently towards their goals, a skill supported by the School’s Olympus Program, which assists elite athletes in balancing their sporting and academic commitments.
“The Meriden community is proud of the girls who are representing their countries this year,” he said.
“We understand that their journeys to these elite events are gruelling and we commend their dedication to their sports and the investments they have made to earn their places on the world stage. The School looks forward to continuing to support the girls as their international sporting careers unfold.”
A list of the students who have competed, or will be competing, in international sporting events in 2019 is below.
- Archery – Chevyone Cheah, Year 11, won two gold medals and one bronze medal for Australia at the 2019 Trans-Tasman Challenge. The five-day competition was held in Auckland in cold, wet conditions, but morale was high in the Australian camp, particularly when Chevyone secured first place in two separate individual matches and third place in a team match.
- Athletics, Surf Life Saving – Isabellah Walker, Year 12, is on Australian representative teams in two different sports this year. She will join Australia’s Youth Lifesaving team to compete at the 2019 International Youth Surf Rescue Championships in Durban, South Africa in October. She was also a member of the Australian team at the 2019 Oceania Athletics Championships, held in Townsville in June.
- Badminton – Sydney Tjonadi, Year 7, competed at the Sydney International 2019 in September and will represent Australia at the Singapore Youth International Series 2019 in November.
- Diving – Zara Tullipan, Year 9, competed at the Youth International Diving Meet in Dresden, Germany in April.
- Cross Country Skiing – Isabella Moon, Year 10, has been dominating the ski slopes this winter and the Australian Olympic Committee has longlisted her for the Lausanne 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games.
- Tennis – Sarah Rokusek, Year 8, competed in two European summer tournaments: the LBS Muller Junior Cup in Ulm, Germany in July, then the Bavarian Junior Open in Augsburg, Germany in August.
- Tennis – Patricia Apisah, Year 12, won gold in the Women’s Team event and silver in the Women’s Doubles event for Team Papua New Guinea at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games in July.
- Tennis – Penina Kamu, Year 10, was a member of Team Samoa at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, where she earned silver in the Women’s Team event.
- Water Polo – Charlotte Gates, Evie Glover-Rylah, Macy Hansford, Olivia Mitchell and Maeve Ryan have been selected members of the Born 2002 Australian Youth Squad and will be working to secure a place on the team to compete in the Youth World Championships in Israel in September 2020. Evie Glover-Rylah, Olivia Mitchell and Maeve Ryan will travel to Japan in November to represent Australia in the first training camp with the Japanese Youth Team.
- Water Polo – Nioka Thomas, Year 11, represented Australia at the FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships in Portugal in September. Nioka was joined by Meriden alumna and current University of California, Berkeley student, Carla Traplin, on Team Australia. Nioka has also been selected for the Born 2002 Australian Youth Squad and, like her Meriden peers, is aiming to secure a place on the team.
