Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to join with my colleagues today and take the opportunity to congratulate the athletes who proudly represented Australia at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Our nation finished in the top 10 on the medal count, with seven gold medals, 16 silver and 12 bronze. That is 35 medals in all, which is a very good effort for a country our size, up against the world's best competition. I would also like to say with respect to the chair of the London organising committee, Lord Coe, and the committee that they should be very proud—they ran a fantastic competition. I, like many others around here, lost a lot of sleep in following the competition. It was a first-class presentation, and credit should obviously going to the organising committee on producing a sensational Olympic Games.

We are, as Australians, immensely proud of all the sportsmen and sportswomen who wore the green and gold, did their personal best and contributed to Australia's great result at this Olympics. Personally—and I know the member for Macarthur is here, so I do not want to steal too much of his thunder—I am particularly proud of a local girl from Campbelltown, Erin Densham, who won the bronze medal in what is possibly the toughest Olympic event, the triathlon. The triathlon is a multistage competition involving three sequential endurance events: swimming, cycling and running. The Olympic distances are a 1.5-kilometre swim, a 40-kilometre bike ride and a 10-kilometre run. Erin completed the Olympic triathlon course in less than two hours, coming very close behind Nicole Spirig of Switzerland and only two seconds behind Sweden's Lisa Norden.

Erin is someone that I have known since she attended primary school. She grew up in Ruse, very close to my family. She attended the John Therry Catholic school in Ambarvale. Her mother, Jan, is a very close friend of my wife, Bernadette, hence the family connection. During her school years, Erin competed in swimming and cross-country, up to state level, and when she was around 16 she decided to combine her respective strengths and take up the triathlon. She announced herself on the world triathlon scene in 2006 when she won the under-23 world championship in Switzerland.

Erin Densham's highly successful triathlon career began at the local Macarthur Triathlon Club. On many occasions I have spoken about this particular club, but I recall speaking about it when 12 of its members were selected to represent Australia in the age-group championships in 2009. As I said, this is the club that Erin was a member of for many years, a club that certainly understood that developing young athletes in regular competition is a platform for providing Olympic athletes. The achievements of the Macarthur Triathlon Club, including those of Erin Densham, are testament to the hard work and commitment of the local sports club's president, Glenn Schwarzel, who does a wonderful job, not only competing himself but laying the platform for the development of young sportsmen and sportswomen through that triathlon club.

Australia has won a medal in every Olympic triathlon competition in every games since women's triathlon was admitted to the program in 2000 for the Olympics in Sydney. The commitment and dedication of our triathlon women is a truly remarkable and inspiring thing for all of us.

At the age of 27, Erin has already overcome a great number of obstacles and continues to not only compete but also win major world-class championships and tournaments. Only three years ago she was fighting for her life after a rare heart condition was detected following her collapse during an event in Iowa. After her recovery, Erin came first in the 2012 triathlon world championship series in Sydney and in the Mooloolaba World Cup, and she finished second in the triathlon world championships in San Diego and third in the Oceanic Championships in Devonport. The Olympic medal is certainly an incredible addition to Erin's long list of achievements. I would like to personally congratulate Erin on her courage and determination and her phenomenal career so far—of which she probably has a long way yet to go. Behind every young athlete are very steadfast parents, and I also congratulate Jan and Jim on being part of Erin's remarkable success at the London Olympics.

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