8 December 2023: Aaron McNaughton
The University of Melbourne has a long and proud tradition of supporting student-athletes in their sporting and academic pursuits. In 2023, our Elite Athlete Program supported 449 student-athletes across a vast range of sports, providing support to students with a range of financial and in-kind support. Below is a snapshot of some of the key performances from last year, including a Men's AFL Premiership captain, multiple medals and outstanding performances at World Championship events, and one of the first athletes to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Darcy Moore, Master of International Relations
Darcy Moore captained the Collingwood Football Club's men's AFL team to their 16th Premiership, defeating the Brisbane Lions in the Grand Final by four points, 12.18.90 to 13.8.86. Moore's leadership throughout the home-and-away season and finals series was pivotal to the Magpies' success. Moore was also selected to the All-Australian team for the second time (his first was in 2020).
Jemima Montag, Doctor of Medicine
Montag became the first Australian woman to win a racewalking medal in the Women's 20km event at the Athletics World Championships. Off the back of winning her second Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2022, Jemima finished second behind Spain's Maria Perez by 25 seconds in a new Australian record time of 1hr 27mins 16secs. Jemima is a current recipient of the Andrew and Geraldine Buxton Athletics Scholarship and will be targeting an Olympic medal in Paris in 2024.
Saffron Tambyrajah, Bachelor of Science
At the Taekwondo World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tambyrajah competed in the Women's Flyweight competition winning her first two matches. In Section 4, Round of 16, Tambrajah faced the 2020 Olympic gold medalist and dual World Champion, Panipak Wongpattanakit from Thailand. Despite losing the match (Wongpattanakit went on to win silver), Saffron's breakthrough performances put her in good stead for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Annabel Sutherland, Bachelor of Science
A member of the winning Australian ICC Women’s T20 World Cup team, maiden Test and One Day International centuries, and the joint most expensive player in the Women's Premier League player auction, it was a huge year for Annabel Sutherland. Read more about Annabel's incredible year here.
Mohammed Alharbi, Master of Applied Linguistics
Mohammed Alharbi is a part of Saudi Arabia’s national judo team, and won a gold medal in the Men's -90kg category at the 2023 Saudi Games in December. The event is the biggest multi-sport event in the country. Earlier in the year he won two more golds at the Saudi Judo Federation Ministry of Sports Cup. Alharbi is a Master of Applied Linguistics student and also works as a teacher with the Ministry of Education. While in Australia, the international student trained with the Australian National Judo Team while balancing his studies.
Jaryd Clifford, Bachelor of Arts
In the Men's 5000m T13 at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, Clifford finished second behind Spain's Yassine Ouhdadi by only 1.26 seconds to win his fourth World Championships medal, after winning gold in the same event in Dubai in 2019. After the race, it was confirmed that Clifford had a stress fracture in his left femur, ruling him out of the chance to defend his 1500m T13 crown from 2019. Clifford who graduated with his Bachelor of Arts this year, will also be aiming for Paris in 2024 at the Paralympic Games.
Sam Williamson, Bachelor of Science
Following a four-medal haul at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2023 Australian Swimming Championships, Williamson went to the Aquatics World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, looking to add to his collection. Sam was Australia's sole representative in the Men's 50m Breaststroke. After progressing through the heats with the fourth fastest time, Williamson then had the eighth fastest time in the semifinals to qualify for the final by 0.01secs. In the final, Williamson swam an incredible race to finish 4th and just missed out on a medal. Williamson swam the breaststroke legs of the Mixed and Men's 100m medley relay heats as well. Both qualified for the final with the Mixed winning silver and the Men winning bronze, meaning Williamson took home two medals. Earlier in the year
Catriona Bisset, Master of Architecture and Diploma in Languages
Continuing on from a successful 2022, the newly graduated Master of Architecture and Diploma in Languages student retained the Women's 800m national title in April, competed in seven events of the Diamond League Series, made the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Hungary, and broke her own Australian and Oceania record with a time of 1:57.78 at the Olympic Stadium in London. Bisset also won a silver medal in the Women's 800m Short Track at the World Athletics Indoor Tour in Birmingham, England.
Campbell Harrison, Bachelor of Arts
In late November, Sport Climbing superstar Campbell Harrison became one of the first people to be selected for the Australian Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Campbell's place in the team was confirmed in front of a raucous home crowd at the International Federation of Sport Climbing Oceania Qualifier in Melbourne, where he finished with a score of 154.1 in the Final of the Men's Boulder and Lead.
Fraser Miscamble, Bachelor of Biomedicine and Diploma in Languages
Racing in the Men's Four at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Miscamble and the crew finished second behind Great Britain to win a silver medal. The Jopling Family Rowing scholar was also recognised by Rowing Australia at their annual awards for his role in that crew, winning the Bolle Pathways Crew of the Year. Miscamble was also captain of the University's men's crew for the 2023 Australian Boat Race against the University of Sydney.
Sara de Uray, Bachelor of Biomedicine
De Uray won a bronze medal as a member of the Women's Four at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In a close finish, the Australian crew were pipped at the line by Poland and Chile in an incredible race. Sara was also awarded the John Hall Rowing Scholarship this year, won a Full Blue for Rowing due to her performances at the Uni Nationals Rowing where she won a gold and a silver medal, and was also a member of the Women's crew for the Australian Boat Race