By Jarrod Potter and Russell Bennett
By JARROD POTTER and RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Berwick News area is well represented at the London Olympic Games, with athletes representing our region in athletics, gymnastics, swimming, hockey and shooting.
HARKAWAY Olympian Jeff Riseley will compete in his second Olympic Games, after debuting at Beijing in 2008. He was selected in the 800 metres, but despite running an A-qualifying time in Monaco last year, was not an automatic selection for the 1500 metres.
He won his third national 1500 metre crown in Melbourne earlier this year and was a last minute Olympic inclusion for his pet event.
Though he was thrilled with his performance at the Australian championships, Riseley said his aim was to improve his record in international meets. Riseley is looking forward at getting his chance at validating his recent results with a big performance on the biggest of stages – against Kenyan superstar Asbel Kiprop.
Considering Riseley has already beaten Kiprop, there’s a good chance he can do it again in London.
ASHLEIGH Brennan will wear the green and gold with pride in London after winning a place in her second Olympic team.
The 21-year-old is no stranger to the spotlight of the world stage. She will embark on her second Olympic Games campaign with six years of international competition already to her name, as well as Commonwealth Games gold medals in Melbourne and Delhi.
And Brennan is coming off claiming her first senior all-around Australian championship, which saw her selected for London.
She is the form gymnast of the Australian team and could form part of a medal-winning combination, which includes former floor world champion Lauren Mitchell.
LALITA Yauhleuskaya capped off a recent run of good form with a sixth place at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Munich, by qualifying for her fifth Olympic Games in London.
Yauhleuskaya, 48, from Berwick, will be representing Australia for the third time after emigrating from Belarus.
After winning bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 in the 25-metre air pistol, Yauhleuskaya immigrated to Australia and competed for her new country in the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games.
Yauhleskaya is one of Australia’s most experienced Olympians and that level of expertise is hard to assail in the shooting world. Her recent achievements include fifth in the London World Cup in the 10m and 17th in the 25m.
MATSON Lawson became the first Casey TigerShark to qualify for the Olympic Games in the 200 metres backstroke.
Lawson, 20, from Langwarrin, finished in 1.58.32 to earn his place in the Olympic team in an A qualifying time.
TigerSharks head coach Ben Hiddlestone said Lawson was ecstatic to be a part of the Olympic team and was adjusting to the nation toasting his success.
Lawson has qualified strongly – a sub-two minute time always impressing in the 200 backstroke – but with American Ryan Lochte and Japan’s Ryosuke Irie leading the world in the event over the last couple of years, it will be a struggle for the TigerShark to progress to the final.
London will be a great stepping stone for Lawson’s assault on Rio in 2016, hopefully with Tooradin swimmer and training partner Josh Beaver forming a 1-2 combination.
CHRIS Ciriello, 25, originally from Endeavour Hills but now living in Perth, is on the Australian men’s hockey team after successful stints with the Victoria Vikings in the Australian Hockey League and success at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Ciriello was brought up on the sport, as his grandfather, Rudy Pacheco, was a big part of the hockey club at Springvale/Noble Park.
The Kookaburras will never tolerate anything besides a gold medal finish and with their recent successes against all the strong hockey nations, including their fourth straight Champions Trophy victory in December, gold is not only possible, but very likely, to come.
