Two Bondies on distinct sporting journeys have celebrated victories 2000km apart.
Bree Rizzo (nee Masters) crossed the line first in the Stawell Gift, while on the Gold Coast Isabella Simonelli took home gold in the hammer throw and silver in the discus at the UniSport Nationals.
Rizzo, a Bond alumna and Paris Olympian, claimed victory on Easter Monday in Australia’s oldest and richest foot race, stopping the clock at 13.52 seconds to edge out Chiara Santiglia by 0.03 of a second.
TheStawell Gift is a handicap race and Rizzo started from scratch, having to run the full 120m.
She became just the second woman to win the race from that position following Melissa Breen in 2012.
“To win it off scratch, I never imagined that,” Rizzo said.
“My first race was off four metresand I got third. I am actually speechless.”
It's another huge achievement for Rizzo after she competed in the 100m sprint and 4x100m relay at last year’s Paris Olympics.
Closer to home, Simonelli took home gold and silver in the UniSport Nationals.
Simonelli’s best hammer throw of 53.87m edged out Notre Dame’s Lauren Clark by 1.09cm on Tuesday nightat the Gold Coast Performance Centre.
“While I’m proud to represent Bond and pleased with the result, it was a challenging competition,” Simonelli said.
“I had to rely on a conservative throw after recent technical changes, so it wasn’t quite the performance I was aiming for but a valuable step in my progression.”
The 24-year-old, who is originally from Lancefield, Victoria started at Seymour Little Athletics as a youngster.
“I’ve always had a strong connection and passion for the throwing events,” Simonelli said.
Her skills earned her a D1 scholarship at the University of Texas at San Antonio where she studied a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and competed in athletics for four years.
Since graduating with her bachelor's degree, Simonelli has been back in Australia studying a Doctor of Physiotherapy at Bond.
“The transition back to Australia came with its own hurdles—recovering from a broken ankle and balancing elite sport with the demands of being a student in the Doctor of Physiotherapy program,” Simonelli said.
“Nonetheless, it’s been incredibly rewarding to be back home, contributing to the growth of throwing culture in Australia while pursuing my academic and athletic goals.”