Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate the talented sportsmen and sportswomen from the Central Coast that represented us so well at the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio. Athletes who appeared in the Olympic green and gold include Matt Dawson in the men's hockey team, Jesse Parahi in Rugby 7s, and Lachlan Tame and Riley Fitzsimmons in canoeing.

At the Paralympics, we cheered on the legendary Liesl Tesch in sailing, Dylan Littlehales in canoeing, Rae Anderson in athletics, with Matt Formston and Nick Yallouris in the cycling team. For Liesl Tesch, this was an historic games. Described as our Woy Woy wonder woman—and she definitely is that—Liesl and sailing partner Dan Fitzgibbon sailed into the history books by winning gold in their class with two races to spare, becoming the first Aussie sailors in history to win back-to-back Paralympic gold medals. Across seven Paralympic Games campaigns, Liesl has an astonishing record of two golds in sailing, as well as two silvers and a bronze in wheelchair basketball.

I would also love to give a special mention to Olympians Lachie and Riley. It was a truly unforgettable moment to join with their friends and family at the Avoca Kayak Club to cheer them on. The pair have been members of the surf club at Avoca since a very young age, and, as a community, we could not be more proud of them and their efforts. On behalf of the entire Central Coast, I thank them and congratulate all of our sportsmen and sportswomen for their achievements.

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