This weekend in Olympic sport, Aussie winter athletes celebrated passing the one year to go to Beijing 2022 milestone with multiple medals across aerials and moguls, Ash Barty started her summer of tennis with a tournament win in Melbourne, cycling national champions were crowned, hurdler Liz Clay ran a Tokyo 2020 qualifying time and Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar won their first beach volleyball tournament after a year of being sidelined.
Dani Scott Jumps to Gold and Matt Graham takes Moguls World lead
Dual Olympian Danielle Scott has returned to aerial skiing competition in the best possible way, taking the gold medal in Deer Valley, USA, her first event since the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
The 30-year-old from Sydney scored 90.59 points with her back double full-full (a triple twisting double back somersault), to record the fourth victory and eleventh podium performance of her World Cup career.
Meanwhile, mogul skier Matt Graham made it three consecutive podiums with back to back medals at the World Cup event in Deer Valley, USA, claiming the silver medal in the dual moguls, after winning bronze in the single event.
The result moves Graham into first place on the World Cup standings, the first time an Australian male mogul skier has had the yellow leader bib since the legendary Dale Begg-Smith in 2010.
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Meyer and Roy crowned national road race cycling champions
Sarah Roy and Cameron Meyer won contrasting victories in the national road championships in Buninyong.
34-year-old Roy broke away from the peloton and rode solo to her maiden national road crown, while Meyer secured back-to-back victories in a thrilling photo finish, reeling in leader and Tokyo 2020 track teammate Kell O’Brien on the line.
Clay hurdles to Tokyo Qualifier
The Sally Pearson Shield in Queensland was fittingly headlined by two of Australia’s top-ranked 100m hurdlers, with Liz Clay winning and clocking an exact Olympic Qualifying time of 12.84 (+1.0) to take the win over Michelle Jenneke.
The run moves Clay into third position on the Australian all-time rankings.
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Barty takes out Yarra Classic Title
Ash Barty has capped a perfect return to professional tennis by claiming her ninth career WTA singles title.
The world No.1 secured the Yarra Valley Classic title with a 7-6(3) 6-4 victory over world No.15 Garbine Muguruza in Melbourne.
Barty, contesting her first tournament in 11 months, produced her best tennis of the week to subdue the in-form Spaniard, capping the perfect preparation ahead of this week’s Australian Open.
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Clancy and Artacho del Solar cap winning return to the sand
Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho Del Solar made a stunning return at the second leg of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour (ABVT) in Glenelg this weekend to claim the gold medal.
Clancy and Artacho del Solar consolidated their status as the number one Australian team with a victorious campaign, after injuries and a break in the beach volleyball calendar had kept them off the court for more than a year.
The Rio 2016 Olympians were able to maintain a clean sheet and didn’t drop a single set throughout the tournament, eventually defeating Stefanie Fejes and Becchara Palmer 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) in the gold medal match.
Reigning Commonwealth Games champions Chris McHugh and Damien Schumann also finished the tournament undefeated on the men’s side, winning the final 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-11). It’s the second consecutive win in the 2021 ABVT for McHugh/Schumann, who also claimed gold at the Cobram Barooga Classic in January.
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