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Standout Bondies crowned at Blues awards

Pierre van der Westhuyzen and Kate Kyros
2024 Sports People of the Year Pierre van der Westhuyzen and Kate Kyros 

A history-making dressage rider and a young kayaker who powered out from the shadow of his Olympic champion brother have edged out one of the strongest and most diverse fields to claim the Bond University Sports Person of the Year awards.

Kate Kyros won her second consecutive Female Sports Person of the Year award after a stunning season on the international circuit saw her reach No.2 in the world while Pierre van der Westhuyzen claimed his first gong after winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

The success of our swimming program at the Olympics saw Chris Mooney named Coach of the Year and the Team of the Year went to our all-conquering women’s rugby program. 

Bond Sport’s night of nights, the prestigious Blues Awards, were celebrated at the Princeton Room on Thursday.

Equestrian and Bachelor of Laws and Business student Kate Kyros edged out a field that included Olympians Kiera Gazzard and Lani Connoly and Titans NRLW and Bull Sharks rugby star Georgia Grey.

Alongside her stallions, Intro K and Chemistry, Kyros is currently ranked World No.2 in FEI Dressage World Ranking in the under 21 age category, making her the most decorated young rider in Australian dressage history. 

This year she was a double silver medallist at the 2024 World Equestrian Festival in Germany and took home the gold and silver at the Dressage Nations Cup in Florida, USA. 

“My biggest highlight of 2024 was competing at the World Equestrian Festival this year, I was the first Australian to ever be invited,” Kyros said. 

“My short-term goals are to head back to Europe next year and then the 2026 World Equestrian Games in Germany.”

Over the next month, Kyros will be the first Australian to compete in the Aachen Young Stars awards, the most prestigious youth competition of the European winter season. 

Pierre van der Westhuyzen claimed a sensationally close silver medal in the K4 500m at the Paris Olympic Games to win the award over World Championship bronze medal winning triathlete Kye Robinson, rising gold star and Fiji Open winner James Goffman and Olympian Ben Armbruster.   

At just 21, van der Westhuyzen, who studies Actuarial Science at Bond, was the youngest member of the K4 team alongside Riley Fitzsimmons, Jackson Collins, Noah Havard.

“As I look forward to LA28 I’m hoping to do one better than what we did in Paris. There’s still room for improvement,” van der Westhuyzen said. 

“That 0.04 second difference between us and Germany lives rent-free in my head.

“Bond is the perfect location for training and the team have been so great supporting me with my studies and my training.”

Pierre’s older brother and Bond alumnus Jean van der Westhuyzen, a Tokyo Olympic Gold medallist, also took home a medal at the Games, placing third in the K2 500m.

Bond Sports Club of the Year was presented to the Bull Sharks Women’s Rugby after the squad won a third straight Queensland Premier Rugby grand final.

“Our track record means every squad wants to go out against us as hard as possible, so every game is a challenge,” captain Zoe Hanna said.    

Chris Mooney - Blues awards
Chris Mooney

“Our culture is just there, it’s what makes our team tick.”

It was no surprise Chris Mooney took home the Coach of the Year after he coached four Bond swimmers – Ben Armbruster, Flynn Southam, Lani Connolly and Omar Abass – to the 2024 Paris Olympics.  

“It’s been a massive year, with two major international meets and one more to go,” he said.

“Moving to Bond in 2021 was a no-brainer, it has fantastic facilities, and I knew the program had some promising juniors, so I knew the future was bright and secure going into 2028 and 2032.”

Mooney also took home National Age Coach of the Year and National Youth Coach of the Year at the Swimming Australia Awards. 

“We have a fantastic bunch of athletes, they put a lot of trust in us,” said Mooney

“I often say to Kyle (Kyle Samuelson, Bond Director of Swimming) when expectation and pressure collide, we are going to be in the trenches with them, we really can’t do what we do without the support and belief from the athletes.”

University Blue Award Recipients 2024

Ben Armbruster – Swimming

Alyssa Bailey – Kayak

Cyra Bender – Surf Life Saving

Jesse Coleman – Swimming

Joshua Collett – Swimming

Mary Lanihei Connolly - Swimming

Brooke Davis-Goodall – Swimming

Kiera Gazzard – Artistic Swimming

James Goffman – Golf

Georgia Grey – Rugby and Rugby League

Amahli-Sieli Hala – Rugby

Zoe Hanna – Rugby

Kate Kyros – Equestrian

Matthew Kuhnemann – Cricket

Hollie-Kate Melia – Gymnastics

Camille Neighbour – Gymnastics

Mia O’Leary – Swimming

Amber Reinbott – Archery

Gabrielle Rivers – Rugby

Kye Robinson – Triathlon

Ruby Sargent- Wilson – AFL

Will Savage – Surf Life Saving

Ozzie Toole – Bobsleigh

Morgan Trinca – Surf Life Saving

Pierre van der Westhuyzen – Kayaking

Archie Vernon – Surf Life Saving 

University Half Blue Awards Recipients 2024

Claudia Bailey – Kayak

Rose Bentley – Surf Life Saving

Alec Braund – Tennis

Hannah Casey – Swimming

Madeleine Condron – Swimming

Livvy Devonport – Tennis

Kelsey Francis – Judo

Nick Francis – AFL

Jazi French – Motor racing

Liam Georgilopoulos – Athletics

Fergus Gillan – Rugby

Xavier Gomes – Swimming

Thomas Hauck – Swimming

Thomas Hebblewhite – Surf Life Saving

Mathilda King – Swimming

Charles McCauley – Rugby

Ben O’Brien – AFL

Kate Regan – Kayak

Dylan Stensholm – Touch Football

Flynn Sweeney – BMX
Kaylin van Greunen – Netball

Savannah Voigt – Surf Life Saving

Matiese Wadwell – Cricket

Kimberly Webb – Equestrian 

 

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