The Athlete of the Year for 2004 – 2005 season chosen by your committee is this year two athletes – Julie Iles and Suzy Walsham.
Julie Iles had a very up and down year. Competing well at the
Australian Championships in 2004, which were the major trials for the
Paralympics, was a step closer to competing in Athens in September 2004.
Not long after this Julie was told she would require heart
surgery. She underwent successful surgery in May 2004 and started the long road
back to an elite athlete.
Julie was then selected in the Australian Team for the
Paralympics in the Shot Put, Discus and Javelin F40 class and finished 9th,
6th and 6th respectively. Well done on a great
achievement.
Over the past few years Suzy Walsham has regularly been ranked in
the World IAAF top 50 for the 1500m, and Nationally in the top 3 in both the
800m and 1500m. She regularly competes in the IAAF Grand Prix Series in both
the USA and Europe.
Despite a series of injuries that limited her domestic
competition in 2004 – 2005, Suzy still had a successful season. She placed 2nd
in the NSW State Championships in the 1500m (1st NSW athlete),
followed by a 2nd placing in the IAAF Grand Prix 2 meet in
Melbourne, before winning the 1500m at the Telstra A meet in Adelaide two days
later. Suzy won the 800m at the Sydney University meet and went on to place 3rd
in the 1500m at the Nationals.
Suzy represented Australia at the World Cross
Country Championships in March and has since run a series of races in the USA, placing
5th in the 1500m at the Adidas Classic (her time under the A
qualifier for Commonwealth Games) and 5th at the IAAF Grand Prix 1
Prefontaine meet in Eugene.
Suzy is ranked 2nd nationally in both the 800m
and 1500m and was recently named Female Track and Field Athlete.