Honours for sporting legends Gould and Clark

The Weekly Times, Wednesday 31 January 2018:

OLYMPIC swimming champion Shane Gould has received an AM for her significant service to swimming and to water safety programs in developing countries.

Gould gained international stardom as a 15-year-old at the 1972 Munich Olympics when she won three gold medals and set world records in the 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 400m freestyle while under the coaching of Forbes and Ursula Carlile at Ryde Swimming Pool.

She also grabbed a silver medal in the 800m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle. Gould simultaneously held all freestyle world records from 100 to 1500 metres from December 12, 1971 to September 1, 1972—an incredible achievement for one so young.

FORMER Gladesville resident and womens cricket captain Belinda Clark was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to cricket.

Clark, who was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 1997, led Australia to two World Cup triumphs in 1997 and 2005 and was the first and only person to score a double century (229 not out) in a women’s one day international.

A prolific scoring batsman, Clark played 15 Tests, 118 ODIs and one Twenty20 for Australia, averaging more than 45 in the Test and one-day arena, and is Australia’s leading run scorer in the 50-over game.

Belinda, who starred for Balmain Cricket Club, has proved a fine ambassador for the sport—she has been a member of the ICC Women’s Committee for more than a decade and continues to be a key influencer in the game as Cricket Australia’s Head of Junior Cricket.

Betty Cuthbert, Gould and Clark join a distinguished crop of Australian female sporting icons recognised in the 2018 Australia Day Honours list. Others include squash great Heather McKay and netball legend Liz Ellis (AO); tennis queen Evonne Goolagong-Cawley (AC); Olympic swimming gold medallist Susie O’Neill, basketball dynamo Michelle Timms, golfing legends Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson and Hockeyroos’ Olympic gold medal-winning captain Rechelle Hawkes (AM).