Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge a young athlete in my electorate of Ryan who recently took on the world's best at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Rome, where he placed an impressive 21st in the under-23 K1 division.

Tim Stenlake first took up kayaking as a way to stay fit. After taking out second place in his first race, which was at the under-14s in the Queensland School Canoe Marathon Championships, he was hooked. Tim has been training ever since, and his dedication resulted in his making it to the Australian team. With his family, friends and local community, I attended a neighbourhood fund-raising sausage sizzle for Tim. From this event, coupled with generous donations, he was able to raise $2,500 to help with his trip to Rome.

Tim says that kayaking has allowed him to fuel his competitive spirit and to chase his dream of one day representing Australia at the Olympics. He is: a member of the 2012 Australian Maritime team; the under 23 Australian champion; the state 500-metre and 1,000-metre champion; the six kilometre hare & hounds record holder; the Brunswick Marathon record holder; and the winner of three Northern Marathon Series.

Tim believes that representing Australia is an honour which only few people get to experience, and he will cherish it as a first-time Australian representative. I wish him well in his future endeavours.