Bond University scholarships have supported some of Australia's top athletes, from Olympic gold medallists to Test cricketers.
By providing access to world-class facilities and coaching, as well as academic support, the university helps athletes reach their full potential on and off the field.
On May 15 the Bond community will dig deep for Giving Day, with a special focus on funding scholarships. Here are five of our leading sports scholars.
Grant Hackett
Triple Olympic gold medallist Grant Hackett (Class of 1998) is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The long-time captain of the Australian Dolphins swim team competed at three Olympic Games, winning gold in Sydney and Athens in the 1500m freestyle, and gold as a heat swimmer in 4x200m freestyle relay in 2000.
He was the dominant distance swimmer of his generation, going undefeated in finals in his pet event the 1500m freestyle for a decade between 1997 and 2007.
During that time, he won 10 long course world championship medals in the 200m, 800m and 1500m freestyle.
The Bond MBA graduate has since carved out a successful career in the finance sector, holding senior roles at Wesptac, Ascalon Capital and Generation Life.
Mat Belcher
By the time Australia’s most successful Olympic sailor had finished his tenure at Bond University, Mat Belcher (Class of 2001) had earned a Bachelor of Commerce,Master of Valuation and Property Developmentand Master of Project Management,
And he did all that while winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, silver in Rio in 2016 before going out on a high with a second gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
The ADCO Sports Excellence Scholarship recipient also claimed 10 world championships, was the Australian flag bearer at the Tokyo Games and was named the 2013 World Sailor of the year.
Belcher’s strong connection to the sport has continued with his current role as CEO of Australian Sailing’s major partner Zhik.
Belcher had already served on the sailing apparel company’s board while still competing and was appointed as CEO after calling time on his 22-year racing career.
Mel Wright
Sunshine Coaster Mel Wright (Class of 2013) finally achieved her childhood dream of becoming a doctor when she was awarded a Doctor of Medicine in 2020.
She just had to win five Olympic medals, including two golds, across two Games first.
The highlight of her 15-year swimming career came in 2012 when she anchored the victorious 4x100m freestyle relay team which won Australia’s only gold medal in London. She was also a key member of the silver medal winning 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley teams.
That freestyle relay side would go on to break a world record in 2014, surpassing the previous mark set in the super suit era.
Soon afterwards, having been accepted into the Medical Program at Bond University and with a rib injury that bad plagued the latter part of her career, Wright retired to return to full time study.
She had already completed a Bachelor of Medical Science and an MBA and would also add a Bachelor of Medical Studies in her time at Bond on an ADCO Sports Excellence Scholarship.
These days Wright practices medicine on the Sunshine Coast and is an ambassador for several leading brands and charities.
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Courtney Atkinson
If you’re interested in extreme endurance sports, the chances are you have come across Courtney Atkinson, or at the very least sampled some of his work.
Atkinson (Class of 1997) burst onto the triathlon scene when he won the World Junior Championships in 1999 and 25 years later remains one of Australia’s premier endurance athletes.
The Beijing and London Olympian won seven International Triathlon Union World Cup events and recorded 16 podium finishes over the Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) before branching out into Ironman and extreme off-road racing.
The podium finishes continued as he claimed three Australian Xterra titles and a swag of mountain biking and trail running extreme events.
These days Atkinson, who graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2000, is a Red Bull marketing guru and the brains behind Red Bull’s successful Trail Heads series.
He also uses his flair for content creation in ambassadorial roles for Tourism and Events Queensland, Subaru, and Salomon Outdoor.
Matthew Kuhnemann
The Aussie cricketer and Bachelor of Property student has been busily carving his name and Bond University’s in the record books over the past 12 months.
An established star for the Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat, Kuhnemann made his One Day International debut for Australia against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in June, 2022, taking two wickets.
In doing so he because Bond University’s first and only Australian cricket representative.
That number doubled with the enrolment of established Test star Usman Khawaja later that year to study an MBA. The duo then claimed a slice of history for Bond when they both appeared together in Test cricket on the tour of India.
Kuhnemann, an ADCO Sports Excellence Scholarship recipient, fulfilled his lifelong ambition in February 2023 when he earned his first Baggy Green cap after being selected to make his debut in the second Test.
He performed strongly and retained his place for third and fourth Tests.
He became a household name in cricket-mad India when he destroyed the home side with career best figures of 5-16 in the third Test match in Indore.
Click here to support Bond University scholarships this Giving Day