The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony is only hours away and we are jumping almost as high as Sally Pearson with excitement.
And while our minds have been firmly fixed on the arrival of Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwell, who have touched down in Oz to open the Games today, we can’t wait to watch our superstar Aussie sporting heroes take the podium(s) and win gold medal after gold medal in their respective sports.
But until then, we’ve decided to brush up on our Aussie athletes knowledge by following the best-of-the-best emerging sports stars who will be competing at the Games on Instagram.
Here, join us as we get to know the Australian athletes you need to know about NOW, all from the comfort of your couch and scroll of your screen.
Starting with…
Top Aussies
1. Sally Pearson – Hurdles
Australia’s Gold Medalist Sally Pearson is one of our greatest Hurdlers. She is Australia’s fastest 100m hurdlers in history, and a true Aussie hero in our eyes. Oh, and she just casually hangs out with Usain Bolt!
2. Riley Day – Sprinter
An 18 year old 200m sprinter from country Queensland, like Sally, Riley has faced-off with Usain Bolt for Team Australia at Coles Nitro Athletics Melbourne. Plus, her sweet snaps with her family and pet pooch may or may not melt your heart…
3. Melissa Wu – Diving
Is there anything this ultra-flixible 25-year-old can’t do? Melissa is a seasoned international diving competitor having competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at just 16 years of age. Her events may include the 10m Platform Synchronised and 10m Platform, but her Instagram feed shows Melissa twirling on ropes, balancing on bars and literally bending over backwards!
4. David McKeon – Swimming
David has had an inspiring career, having competed in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. Born and bred in Wollongong, NSW, David trains alongside his sister, Emma, also a successful swimmer and member of Australia’s National Team.
5. Matthew Hauser – Triathlon
Fact: this year will mark the 19-year-old Commonwealth Games debut. Matthew has pulled off some great achievements, being part of the four-person team to win Australia’s first mixed relay world championship in Hamburg last year is just one of them.
6. Mariafe Artacho del Solar – Beach Volleyball
Mariafe’s first international tournament opportunity came in 2007 when she was selected to represent Australia at the U19 World Championships in Poland. She then went on to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics. To be honest, we found it hard to find one single Insta snap of her not on the sand – and we love it.
7. Danielle Prince – Gymnastics
Danielle is a rhythmic gymnast, who is an Olympian, a five-time Australian Senior National Champion, a Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and has represented Australia at 7 World Championships. Eight years in the making she has completed Delhi CWG 2010, Glasgow CWG 2014, Rio 2016 and now the Gold Coast CWG 2018 – a pretty impressive feat for a 25-year-old!
8. Melissa Tapper – Table Tennis
Melissa made history at the Rio Olympics becoming the first person to have competed at both the Paralympic and Olympic Games. Her table tennis has taken her from Korea to Alice Spings in the Northern Territory and now to the Goldy, and Insta snaps of her travels around the world look beyond exciting.
9. Kyle Chalmers – Swimming
Kyle Chalmers became a household name when he took it home to win the Rio Olympics men’s 100m freestyle final – not bad for a now 20-year-old! But… who would’ve thought this swimming champ would possess a love for… PYHTONS?! His Instagram feed is definitely something you have to see to believe.
10. Ellia Green – Rugby 7s
Ellia Green made history as part of the gold-medal winning women’s rugby sevens team in Rio – the first Olympic rugby sevens gold medal. Strutting the green in gold in her posts, we can’t get enough of this always-smiling Aussie athlete.
11. Matty Denny – Discus
A country boy at heart, Matty Denny competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and looks towards competing in the upcoming Commonwealth Games. We can’t wait to see this country boy take on his competitors in the Big Smoke of Brissy!
