We’re officially 365 days out from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As athletes across Australia continue to put in the hard yards to earn qualification, here’s some Bull Sharks who are in line to take part in the world’s biggest sporting event.
Flynn Southam - swimming
Fresh off a gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan, Southam is definitely one to watch for Paris.
Southam is a current Bachelor of Psychological Science student and a recipient of the Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholarship.
At the World Championships Trials in Melbourne last month, Southam swam a personal best time of 47.7 seconds in the 100m freestyle (the Olympic Qualifying time is 48.34 seconds).
During his 2023 World Championships campaign Southam will also swim the 100m freestyle and 4x200 freestyle.
Claudia Bailey – sprint canoe
After winning the silver medal at the World Junior Championships earlier this month, Bailey is well on the way to earning her ticket to the Olympic Games.
Next month Bailey will travel to France for the ICF Open World Cup where she will have the opportunity to compete on the Olympic course and potentially gain qualification for the Games.
As the recent recipient of the 2023 Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program with the AIS, Bailey will have her sights set on rapid improvement ahead of 2024.
Bailey is currently completing her Bachelor of Exercise Sports Science on an ADCO Sports Excellence scholarship.
Brothers Pierre and Jean van der Westhuyzen – sprint canoe
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Tokyo Olympic champion and also Bond alumni Jean, Pierre van der Westhuyzen has had his sights set on the Olympics for some time.
Earlier this year Pierre won silver in the K4 500 at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Poland, just 0.74 seconds behind the gold medallists, and late next month he will also travel to the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Paris.
Following his strong performance at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Poland, Jean took home a bronze medal in the K2 500.
Jean was a Bachelor of Business graduate whilst Pierre is currently completing his Bachelor of Actuarial Science.
Kiera Gazzard - artistic swimming
The 2022 Bond University Sportsperson of the year and 2020 Tokyo Olympian has her sights set on Paris 2024.
Recently Gazzard secured 19th in the world with a score of 189.66 at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka for the Women’s Duet Technical Division of Artistic Swimming.
During her time at the World Championships the Australian team officially qualified for the Olympics meaning individual athletes can now begin the qualification process for their spots.
Gazzard is a current Bachelor of Design in Architecture student and a recipient of the ADCO Sports Excellence Scholarship.
Alex Graham – swimming
Another member of the Australian Dolphins team and a 2020 Tokyo Olympian, Alex Graham is currently in Fukuoka competing in the 200m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay.
Graham is undertaking a Masters of Business Administration on a Sport Leadership Scholarship.
Elijah Winnington - swimming
The 2020 Tokyo Olympian and 2022 400m freestyle World Champion is hoping to better his previous Olympic campaign and this time bring home a medal.
Currently competing at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Elijah has the chance to swim in the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle alongside fellow Bondies Southam and Graham.
Winnington is currently completing his Bachelor of Business on a Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholarship.
Maddy Gough – open water swimming
After making her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo games, Gough is determined to get back on the big stage for Paris next year.
At the 2023 World Aquatic Trials, Gough won bronze in the 1500 metre freestyle with an impressive time of 16:21.68.
Gough is completing her Bachelor of Biomedical Science on a Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholarship.
Ben Armbruster
The Australian national champion in the 50m butterfly and 50m backstroke is hoping to make his Olympic debut at Paris 2024.
While he was forced to sit out of this year’s World Aquatics Championships following a rib injury ahead of the trials, Armbruster will no doubt be putting in the hard yards once recovered to ensure his best chance of selection for next year’s games.
Armbruster is studying a Bachelor of Sport Management on a Sports Leadership Scholarship.
Sisters Maddi and Teagan Levi – rugby sevens
The talented Levi sisters have had their crack in both professional AFLW and rugby. After signing full time contracts with the Australian Rugby Women’s program in 2021 t
hey have been on the path to their Rugby Olympic dream ever since.
Eldest sister Maddi has previously represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics whilst Teagan also hopes to make her debut in Paris next year.
Both women also represented Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Hayden Sargeant – rugby sevens
Hayden is on a full-time contract with the Australian Rugby Men’s program and was a contributing player in Australia’s recent qualification for the Olympic rugby 7s tournament.
After excelling in the Australian U20s side, 2023 has been Hayden’s breakthrough season on the World Rugby Series.
He graduated with a degree in Construction & Quantity Surveying.