It is unlikely Will Crossley will ever move his left arm again.

The Mt Julian father of three no longer has muscle tone in the limb from the shoulder down – a sign doctors assure him is “very bad”. His left leg from above the knee to his foot is entirely numb, although it has some movement.

He can walk with difficulty and assistance – a better sign, doctors say.

On Saturday, August 13, in a late-season match-up against the Kuttabul Camelboks, Will Crossley pulled on the Whitsunday Raiders shirt for likely the last time as a player before suffering a life-altering injury.

During a ruck in what was a must-win game for the Raiders to qualify for finals, “someone came in to clear out”, collecting Will in the act, not hard or malicious, but from the side - an illegal move.

Their shoulder connected with the back of Will’s head, and he immediately felt the entire left side of his body from the ear down go numb, but he thought it was just a knock at first.

His teammates held his neck until the ambulance came. He thought feeling was coming back and he’d be okay but a scan alerted doctors that he needed to be flown immediately from Proserpine to Townsville’s University Hospital.

Will had broken the C5 vertebra and ruptured the C5-6 disks in his spine – both of which had prolapsed inwards. The fluid from inside those spinal disks – which are pressurised - erupted into his spinal cord, causing widespread damage.

He underwent major surgery two days after arriving at Townsville.

The once junior Whitsunday Raider, and colourful character whose family has “been around Proserpine for three generations”, is now facing the prospect that much of his life will be spent in a wheelchair.

In the aftermath of the injury, the Whitsunday Raiders Rugby Union Club began a GoFundMe page to support Will’s recovery and costs surrounding it by raising over $16,000.

Those funds have assisted Will in the short-term and he remains in hospital care, while more fundraising efforts are on the way.

Will said the rugby community’s support had been a light in dark times.

“You hear stories about the community and how good they are in situations like this and it’s truly humbling to experience it first-hand,” he said.

“It’s been extremely difficult mentally, to put it lightly, but this has been incredible.”

He’s received over 170 messages of support - from people he played two or three games of rugby with in years past, to Wallabies players like Dave Porecki and Tom Wright.

As well, he’d even been sent a video shoutout from Wallabies players on the pitch just before kick-off their Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand.

But it has had its more than difficult moments – six hours of physical therapy rehabilitation a day, six days a week – as well as major mental challenges.

“Realistically, I might not ever get use of my arm again; I might never get to throw the ball with my kids again. And it’s not about playing rugby, it’s about being a dad,” Will said.

“I was working as a security guard during the night and looking after the three kids during the day, and I’m really not sure what I’ll do now for work."

The 32-year-old single father will eventually move to Brisbane Spine Care Clinic as soon as a bed becomes available to continue his rehab as part of a “long journey” to a semblance of recovery.

His doctors have told him: “miracles can happen”.

For now, Will has two things on his mind: his children and his rugby. To be there for them, and to give back to the community that has given him so much.

“My long-term goal is to get back and give back. I want to get into junior coaching, through Australia Rugby I’ll use my Level Three Reffing and Coaching badges,” he said.

“The best thing for me to do is to take my 15 years of experience playing and help build the grass roots. I want to give back to my rugby family.”

You can donate to Will’s GoFundMe Page here: https://bit.ly/3ycnRUd

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September at Port Denison Gun Club saw twenty-six shooters competing in very windy, sunny conditions which reflected in the scores on the day.  

Shooters travelled from Burdekin, Silkwood, and as far as Mackay and Sarina to join our local members for a wonderful day of competition.  

RESULTS:

Ev 1: 25T DB Graded Sweepstakes

AA: S Steele, J Rossato, R Gough 25/25

A: A Lord, M Zabala 25/25, B Gall, G Maltby 24/25

B: D Bartlett 22/25, M Rossato, J Cerqui 21/25

C: B Bonanno, R Zarb 21/25, R Ness 20/25

Ev 2: 25T DB Handicap

1st: G McHenry 24/25

2nd J Cerqui 23/25

3rd B Bonanno 28/31

Ev 3: 25T SB Continental – Port Denison Championship sponsored by Bowen Home Hardware

AA: R Gough 25/26

A: G McHenry 21/25

B: J Cerqui 22/27

C: R Zarb 23/25

Ev 4: 15 Pr D Rise Sweepstakes

AA: R Gough 28/30, M Zabala 22/30

A: J Rossato 26/30, A Lemphers 25/30, B Gall 24/30

B: G McHenry 27/30, A Lord 26/30, M Mackay 24/30

C: M Rossato 22/30, B Cox 20/30, D Bartlett 18/30  

Thank you to everyone who helped out at the working bee and on the day of the shoot. Our sponsors for the day Bowen Home Hardware. Our next shoot will be held on Sunday 23rd October.

Contributed with thanks to Cheryl Edgerton

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This week 90 fantastic people ran, jogged, and walked the 5km waterfront course, of whom 30 were first timers. 11 recorded new Personal Bests. Well done to Caleb, Bec, Josh, Steve, Riley, Jennifer, Nadine, Chris, Barbara, Jai, and Geoff.

The event was made possible by 14 wonderful volunteers: Nick, Justin (photographer), Kara (run director), Rebecca, Greg, Christopher, Wendy, Ronald, Ashley, Shane, Michael, Ted, Laura and Lynne.

Airlie Beach parkrun started on December 5, 2015. Since then, 4,226 participants have completed 22,123 parkruns covering a total distance of 110,615 km, including 2,579 new Personal Bests. A total of 358 individuals have volunteered 3,120 times.

Airlie Beach parkrun is celebrating 'parkwalk' for the month of October, with the goal of having as many walkers as possible. New participants are encouraged to come along and walk the 5km course.

Every Saturday Airlie Beach parkrun meets at 6:50am for a briefing at area D, Coral Sea Marina (adjacent to the top carpark). Parking is free in the lower carpark till 9:30am if a parkrun barcode is placed on the dashboard. Post parkrun coffee and chat is held at My Rainbow Bakery, Shingley Beach.

The best-kept secret about parkrun is that it’s not about running - it’s about bringing people together in public parks and open spaces across the world to have some fun in a friendly, social and supportive environment. You can walk or run the 5k course (pushing a pram or with one dog on a short lead if you want to!), lend a helping hand as a volunteer in a wide range of super-easy roles, or simply spectate and socialise on the sidelines.

There are no winners at parkrun and nobody comes last – the Tail walkers do. Regular participation is rewarded rather than performance, with ‘parkrun milestone shirts’ available to people to recognise their achievements in coming along.

The full results and a complete event history can be found at https://www.parkrun.com.au/airliebeach/results/latestresults/

Further photos and details about registering can be found on the Airlie Beach parkrun facebook page.

Contributed with thanks to Airlie Beach parkrun

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It’s been a long, sometimes tough, but thoroughly enjoyable seven months of darts. The Airlie Beach Darts Club had three top matches to get through on its final day, with lots of friends and family coming down to Mika to enjoy all the action and show their support.

The third/fourth place match was between Joe Wilson and Andy Peel, with Joe sneaking the win 9/7 in the end.

Joe hit an impressive 160 checkout - his seventh ton checkout this year - and along with the third-place finish in 2022, he managed to claim the most ton checkouts, as well as the most 180s by a player this season.

In the Hetlock Cup match-up, the club had Ross Gallichan taking on Gary Robbie. Both players have shown improvement on last season’s campaigns for different reasons.

Ross deservedly won his first piece of silverware at the club, beating Gary 9/4 to claim the first Hetlock Cup.

To the “Big Dance”: Jamie Maher and Dom Friend both went into this grand final confident, and rightly so. Both have had stellar seasons, and all that was left to do was to finish it off.

The first session of the match was very even with Dom taking a slight three legs to two advantage over Jamie. The second session was more one sided with Jamie failing to claim a single leg to give Dom a massive 8/2 lead at the next break.

The trend continued into the next session, with Dom jumping out to an unassailable 9/2 lead and with the victory in sight.

Jamie rallied towards the end to claim three legs in a row to make it 9/5, showing there was life in this match still.

Dom was now struggling with his throw a little, and just as Jamie was believing a comeback was possible, both players on a double, Jamie missed but Dom didn’t. A two-leg momentum shift, instead of making it very interesting at 9/6, the wind was taken out of Jamie’s sails as Dom went 10/5 up and one away from victory.

Ultimately, Jamie was always chasing Dom, who never really looked like losing on the day, and Dom thoroughly deserved the 11/5 victory to become the 2022 Premier League champion.

Thanks also to our amazing sponsors Mika Airlie and Whitsunday Tattooing for looking after us this year. Back again for 2023.

Anyone interested in joining the club can contant: 0405411865 or find the group on Facebook.

Contributed with thanks to Jamie Maher

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This week it was Paula Wronski who won the weekly 9-hole stableford at Whitsunday Green Golf Course with 22 points.

Justyn Durbin was second with 18 and Andew Gomez was third with 17 points. On Friday it was Justyn Durbin’s turn to win with 20 points, a narrow count back win over Andrew Gomez also with 20 points.

Elise Hodgson was third with 19 points. Elise is in fine form also winning the Sunday 18-hole stableford with a staggering 42 points!

Tyson Flavel was second with 38, and Clive Burn up third with 37 points.

Marc Belke dominated the 17th with a ‘Hole in One’.

Next Sunday will be the SKINS, 9.30am registration for 10am tee off.

Contributed with thanks to Kate Cross

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Another great day hosting the Whitsunday Group.  It was a beautiful day for golf and there were 48 players out on the course representing Proserpine, Home Hill, Bowen, and Collinsville.  

Proserpine did very well, taking out the major prizes for both the men and women with some excellent scores.  

Jenny Hounsell won the ladies with a score of 39, and Paula McQuat was runner up with 37.

Other Proserpine ladies in the rundown were Tessa Aitken (36), Mandy Patterson (35 c/b), Robyn Whitham (35), Jacqui Wall (35), Jan Shuwalow (34 c/b), and Elspeth Scotford (32).  

The men’s winner was Gerald Lovell (40 c/b) and runner up was Steve Mitchell (40). In the rundown were Nick Apruzzese (37 c/b), Geoff Harrison (37), Warren Deighton (35), Vic Feldman (34), Garry Scotford (33 c/b), Peter Fox (31 c/b), and Wilf Herweg (31).  

Nearest the pins for Proserpine were Jenny Hounsell, holes 13 and 18, Jacqui Wall, holes 13 and 18, too, and Geoff Harrison on the 18th.  

Next week will be Proserpine Veteran’s Golf’s October Monthly Medal.

Contributed with thanks to Paula McQuat

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Wednesday’s competition was a single bogie event for the men and a 4BBB event for the women sponsored by Bowen Golf Club.  

Ladies’ winners on a countback were Janice Bates and Joy Hose, 49 points, and runners up were Viv Clark and Jo Goldup, 49.  

Pin shots to Lisa Raisbeck, Bonnie Kohlhase, Lynelle Riley, and Judy Atkins, while Jo Goldup had an OBP.  

Men’s winner was John Courtney with plus five, and runner up Dave Lydom, plus three.  

On Saturday, the club played a single stableford sponsored by Axis Sport.  Ladies’ winner on a countback June Kirk 39 points, runner up Lorraine McArthur, 39.  

Men’s winner Carl Van Veen, 41points, and runner up on a countback Tim Miller, 39.

This weekend’s competitions are the Men’s and Ladies’ October monthly medals.  

Men on Saturday, ladies on Sunday.  

Don’t forget to check the clubs Facebook page for this week’s dinner menu.  Takeaways still available.  Please call the club on 4785 1206 if you wish to book a table or place a takeaway order.  Joker draw is $4500 this week.  

Contributed with thanks to Grace Nott

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Tuesday results: Winners for the afternoon at Wangaratta Bowls Club were Keith Aykens, Colleen Christine, and Joe Paynter defeating Deb Retchless. Gavin C, and Sugar Brunker.

Deb Beel, June Paynter, and Pearl Aykens round out the winners circle by defeating Judy Christie, Bill Parker, and Steve Roome.  

Sunday results: Winners for the afternoon were June Paynting, Sue Shearing, and Kennedy Whitton, who defeated Deb Retchless, Mark Drummond, and Joe Paynting. Other victors on the day were Penny Warren and Graeme Read, who defeated Anthony Cresswell and Brandon Higgins, while Laurie Land and Sugar Brunker defeated Linda Scells  and Pat Tracey.

Competition Results: On Sunday morning the Mixed Fours competition was a great match for spectators. The game was even all the way through with both teams on 18 all going into the last end.

The winners by two shots were Lyn Danvers, Greg Colquhoun, Peter Hinschen, and Geoff Danvers who defeated Tracey Roach, Lloyd White, Jason Wright, and Mitch Wright.

Ladies’ Two Bowl Triples results saw Sue Shearing, Denise Wallace, and Penny Warren win against Linda Smith, Isobel Wheeler, and Pat Tracey.

Saturday: Wangaratta was the host club for the second round of Men’s Burdekin and Bowen Pennants. It was a great day of bowls, and the result was only decided in the last game.

Three clubs were on two wins, but Bowen Bowls Club came in as victors with a larger margin, with Wangaratta second, Ayr third, and Brandon Fourth.      

Contributed with thanks to Penny Warren

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The farthest north of the Whitsundays’ Bowls Clubs had a week of spectacular sport, highlighted by two big sets of winners.

The Bowen Bowls Club Men’s Team travelled with a full contingent to a regional level competition,

The side comprised of Mitch Wright, Lee Welsted, Jason Wright, Ian Best, Brett Lampard, Gavin Charles, Gus Munro, Steve Roome, Daryl Tuttle, Peter Thomson, and Wayne Crowhurst won this year’s Burdekin Country Pennants in emphatic fashion.

To finish off the week at the club, Sunday Scroungers was won by Steve Roome,Jane Gilbert and Ron Gould.

Contributed with thanks to Joan Edwards

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Tuesday: 21 bowlers were out at Airlie beach Bowls Club to contest the prize money on offer, but new bowler Demika – recent School girls championship winner – Helen Ward, and Col Morris claimed the prize, finishing as invincible winners.

Wednesday afternoon: Skipper Andrew Butler and club legend Rick Galea claimed the prize money ahead of the 22 other participating bowlers.

Friday: 30 bowlers were given a bowls lesson from one of Australia’s very best. Recent Commonwealth Games Medallist Barrie Lester.

Saturday and Sunday saw the annual Men’s Carnival where teams come from all over Queensland to participate, sponsored by Airlie Beach Hotel, PRD Real Estate, and Proserpine Hardware and FED Electronics.

A huge event like this also cannot exist without the amazing volunteers from National Umpire John Askew, scorer and time keeper Jill Spencer, club workaholic Karen Jenson, and others like Bev Taylor, Vicki Spann, Ladda Purdie, Juanita Matterson, Merve Stewart, and Tim Taylor.

The competition was extremely competitive with the winners decided by a count back with the local Proserpine team of skipper Gavin Milne, Toby Craig at lead, Marcus Craig at second, and Scott Hamilton at third.

The side also claimed the ‘Calcutta’ from Shane Spann’s talented team and Warren Mills team of never say die participants.

The club also hosted a special photographic guest: Bowls World representative Dave Allen. Mr Allen is an Official World Bowls Magazine photographer who travels across the globe from event to event – Olympic, Commonwealth Games, and National Titles included – to document the game at all levels.

Mr Allen said he will be returning next year as he was highly impressed by the wonderful weekend’s exhibition of bowls.

Contributed with thanks to Mark Mawson

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A team of 24 Cannonvale Cannons travelled to Mackay to compete in the Pioneer LC Transition Meet last week.

Coach Ken Crittenden was very proud of all the swimmers and their efforts, especially the young Cannons in the 10 years and under brackets.

7 years and under:  Eloise Chegwidden and Lucas Korosec won all their events and swam two personal best times. Eloise’s brother, Harry, aged 5, swam extremely well in his 25-metre Backstroke and Freestyle events.  Indigo Harland, aged 6, thoroughly enjoyed her four races.

8 -10 years:  Don Algie had a super weekend, coming home with eight gold medals and one bronze medal. Harris Delac “smashed” all his events, swimming personal bests in all his events and winning medals.  His best swim was his 50-metre Butterfly which he swam in 1.04.66 - a 19.25 second personal best.  

Declan Dichiera, Koa Harland, Isaac Pisaniello, Levi Smith, Ruby Harland, and Celeste Orenshaw were very competitive, taking out top places in their division.

Addie Sanders achieved third place for 200-metre IM and swam a fabulous time in her 50-metre Breaststroke.

Indi Smith swam brilliant times in all her events, achieving six personal bests.  One of her best events was her 100-metre Backstroke, which she swam a 12.04 second personal best to earn first place.  Nelson Malady and Thomas Ganter, both 10 years old, swam fantastic 200-metre Freestyles to earn first place in their respective divisions.  

11 years and over: It is not easy to swim personal bests. So Jacob and Tiana Bell were delighted with their two personal best times and top placings.

Birthday Girl, Tora Delac had a very successful meet, which started with her first place finish in the 200-metre Freestyle.  

She also swam an impressive 200-metre Breaststroke in 3.33.62.  Jack Ganter set personal bests in his 50-metre events and swam a 13.76 second personal best in his 200-metre Freestyle.  

Isabella Pisaniello swam fantastic times in her 100-metre Freestyle and 50-metre Backstroke.  Holly Perrin and Remy Hedges, despite not achieving personal bests, were very competitive and earned top placings in their age groups.  

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen

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Twilight Race: With a light easterly breeze forecast, the fleet of 18 boats came prepared for a slow race around the waters of Pioneer Bay in the latest Whitsunday Sailing Club twilight race.  With a total of 109 crew spread across the fleet, the twilight races are one of largest weekly sporting events in the Whitsundays.  The fleet is split into 3 divisions subject to the size and performance of each boat.

The first division away were the faster racing yachts, with Treasure VIII (Rob Davis) leading the fleet away.  At the first rounding mark, Reignition (Charles Wallis) held a slender lead over Smooth Criminal (Iyas Shaheen) and Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale).  By the time they reached the end of the first lap, these three boats were close together, allowing Bobby’s Girl to sneak through as the lead positions reversed by the finish.  On corrected time, Reignition took the honours from Smooth Criminal and Bobby’s Girl.

The next division away saw Rossgo (Greg Hammon) take the lead from the start, taking with them the Doyle Sails sponsored best start prize, but there was no stopping Matchless (Terry Stevens) as they sailed away from the fleet. The light winds kept the fleet close together, with Aquatarius (Tom Parker), Shiraz (John Cable) and Rossgo in proximity throughout, with Masquerade (Tom Vujasinovic) also joining in the action.  Matchless crossed the finishing line 6 minutes ahead of their rivals, but that was only good enough for fourth place on corrected time, with the handicap win going to Norbert G (Ghigo Casalini) from Rossgo and Lighthorse (Di Forster).

The final group to start were the multihulls, with G’nome (Terry Archer) leading the fleet for a start to finish win.  Hot on their tail was Fangerang (Hayden Turnbull), with little to separate these boats on the water. KayCee (William Richards) made up the third boat, unable to match the quicker, lighter boats on the water, but good enough to come in second on corrected time, just 15 seconds short of G’nome.

Full results are available at https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/85/profile?tab=results.  Races start from 4:30pm each Wednesday afternoon, so those wishing to participate as crew need to be at the club by 2:30 pm (limited spots available).

Contributed with thanks to Ross Chisholm

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Queensland Under 12 sensation Harper Shields will spearhead a strong Mercy/St Patrick’s College contingent at this week’s 40th annual Gold Coast Titans Queensland All Schools Touch Football Championships at Runaway Bay.

The gifted Shields will join the likes of St Patrick’s whiz kids Jaxon Purdue and Ethan Van Kerkwyk at the prestigious Carnival that is billed as the world’s largest touch football tournament.

Spring-heeled Harper is a player to watch in the Under 13 Boys category when he leads Mercy College during the coveted Carnival from Wednesday, October 5 to Sunday, October 9 at the world class Gold Coast Performance Centre.

Mercy/St Patrick’s College will also field an Under 15s Boys, Under 15s Girls and an Under 18 Mixed team in the major schools sporting event.

Shields captained Capricornia to back-to-back State Under 12 championship titles at the Queensland Schoolboys Touch Football Carnival in Brisbane earlier this year.

The elusive middle player – who was named the 2021 Mackay Sports Person of the Year – was rewarded for his classy performances with selection in the Queensland Under 12 representative team.

Harper demonstrated his leadership skills, attacking prowess and vision on the field to help the well drilled Capricornia side post ten wins from 11 matches in the preliminary rounds before toppling Metropolitan East 7-5 in the Grand Final at the Whites Hill venue.

At the end of the Gold Coast All Schools Carnival, the versatile Year 7 athlete will line up for his beloved Maroons at the National Schoolboys Touch Football Championships to be staged in the NSW town of Wagga Wagga during November.

Joining Shields in a powerful Mercy College Under 13s outfit are rising colts Mason Muscat and Darcy Cabassi – fresh from their rugby league heroics with the premiership-winning Magpies in the Mackay and District Junior League competition.

The talented trio also guided Mercy College to an inaugural Mackay All Schools Fast Four Mixed Touch Football Under 13s title back in July along with outstanding female athletes Vitea Parter, Mia Davidson and Jade Williams.

Purdue, a skilful rugby league half, represented Queensland Country U/17s in their recent 38-20 victory over Queensland City at Redcliffe and formed a dynamic pairing with ace five eighth Van Kerkwyk in the St Patrick’s College First XIII that reached the Grand Final of both the Confraternity Shield and Aaron Payne Cup competitions this season.

The duo along with sharp runner Madeline Doring also helped St Patrick’s secure the Opens trophy at this year’s Mackay All Schools Fast Four Mixed Touch Football Challenge.

All three are key players at the Titans All Schools Carnival in the Open Mixed division.

The Gold Coast Titans Queensland All Schools Touch Football Championships event is run by Queensland Touch Football and attracts over 450 teams, representing various schools both nationally and internationally, on the big sporting stage.  

It is a seeded round robin-based competition where teams are placed in Pools of 6-8 teams depending on the size of the division, which provides school teams with a minimum of seven games.

Across the five-day tournament, more than 6,000 students will take to the field playing over 1,700 games across 23 fields, attracting between 6,000 and 10,000 spectators.

Contributed with thanks to Chris Karas.

Harper Shields who played in the Queensland All Schools Touch Football Championships

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Versatile colt Hudson Camilleri has handled the step up in class in the Mackay and District Rugby League senior competitions in 2022.

The 19-year-old Brothers utility proved a mainstay for the Leprechauns with wholehearted displays and capped a memorable season when named as the recipient of the Mackay District’s Rookie of the Year Award.

Camilleri turned in strong performances at centre and in the second row for the club’s Under 20 and A Grade teams during a hectic campaign that yielded premiership success.

The Wanderers junior product helped Brothers capture the Mackay and District Under 20 trophy after a thrilling 25-24 Grand Final victory over the Magpies club – making an impact at centre with his sharp running and no-nonsense defence.

Camilleri alternated his appearances between the Under 20 and A Grade ranks and caught the eye of Junior League officials with his high work rate, speed and skill in both competitions.

Hudson was a regular in the second row during the A Grade preliminary rounds and helped the Leprechauns finish fourth on the ladder and cement a finals berth.

Souths eliminated the Thomas Heggie-coached Brothers 36-20 in the first week of the finals but received great value from Camilleri with powerhouse efforts as a starting back rower or interchange forward during the season.

A highlight for Hudson was starring in Brothers’ 36-18 triumph over eventual premiers Wests Tigers in a round 7 A Grade fixture at Leprechaun Park.

Disappointment soon turned to jubilation when the capable Camilleri helped guide the third-ranked Brothers to a deserved Under 20s title at the Mackay and District Junior League Fields last month.

He showed his class as the Leprechauns toppled the Magpies 24-14 and Wests Tigers (22-16) during the finals series before scoring a vital try in a re-match with the Magpies in the trophy decider.

The Brothers’ Class of 2022 demonstrated their courage and skill to edge out the gutsy Magpies in a Grand Final classic with Camilleri leading from the front with another lion-hearted performance.

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At Velo Sports Centre, Los Angeles, a Mackay cyclist came within touching distance of a world championship win.

Mackay athlete Hamish Wright competed in three events across the 2022 Masters Track Cycling World Championships, bringing home a double of top three ribbons.

It’s Wright’s best World Championship outing, having beaten his previous effort in Los Angeles in 2017 where he cracked a third-place finish for his best performance.

This time in the US, he started slow: a seventh-place finish in the 750-metre time trial, before cracking the sound barrier and shooting up to the podium in the team sprint and the singles sprint.

Competing in the Men's 45-49 category, Wright is a sprint specialist.

He had a poor qualifying time in his first sprint, though, which saw him seeded ninth, meaning to progress to the quarter finals, he had to ride a sudden death race against the 3rd fastest qualifier which was a rider from the Czech Republic.

Hamish won convincingly which put him into the quarter finals.

Progressing to the quarter finals, he faced an American, and they were both very closely matched. Hamish won in two of the best of three sets, but both were photo finishes: 0.007 and 0.004 of a second.

There is a technique called “throwing of the bike”, which is something sprinters practice to push their bikes out as they cross the line, similar to how runners lunge when they cross.

It was the throw that won Hamish those races to progress to the semi-finals.

In the semis, he faced a rider from France who was the fastest qualifier. Wright won the first, the Frenchman won the second, so it went to a deciding third race where Wright caused an upset.

It's unheard of for the ninth-place qualifier to knock out the top seed.

The gold medal race came and it was against another American - the second fastest seed. They had close races but ultimately, Hamish came in second best.

Although he was disappointed to come so close, Wright managed to achieve his major goal of continuing to improve, even with a demanding training, life, and work balancing act.

“Trying to commit enough time to train at the level I need to, to be competitive at a world level, is challenging, overlaying that with a demanding work schedule,” Wright said of his finish

Hamish works for Holcim Concrete as an Area Operations Manager which involves long hours any time of the day or night depending on the contracts they are supplying at the time.

"Having an understanding boss in Townsville and working for a supportive business like Holcim makes it possible for me to chase my aspirations on the bike while building a rewarding career,” he said.

For Wright, the most important was the camaraderie of racing and competition that he’d found along the way – although a few medals did make it all the better.

"I've made friends across Australia and the World competing at various events. These events are serious when we're on the track, there's no love lost, especially during sprinting when you're elbow-to-elbow with someone travelling more than 60 km/hr heading towards the finish line; but afterwards there's time for a beer and a chat. You become mates,” he said.

He finished third place in the team sprint, and second in the singles sprint.

It is his first World Champs winning two medals.

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