Cairns athletes’ medal haul

AFTER a successful trip to the 2022 NQ Games and the Yungaburra Triathlon, Cairns athletes will need sunglasses to view all the medals they won in the highly competitive events held on the weekend.

Cairns Cycling Club head coach Richie Bates said all riders did a magnificent job at the NQ Games at Townsville and at the Yungaburra Triathalon.

At the track cycling events, club member Will Emeleus, 13, took six gold medals as did Chloe Buckley, 13, and Thomas Huyser, 8. Kirra Rayner, 14, won two golds, one silver and three bronze. Her dad Joshua, 48, took one gold and one bronze, while Greg Hutton, 52, and sons Brandon, 20, and David, 22, came home with a swag of medals.

Brandon won gold in the 1000m, the Keirin, the team sprint and Omnium, while brother David finished respectively with bronze, silver, gold and silver and Greg took out silver in Division 2 Keirin, gold in the team sprint and bronze in the Div 2 Omnium.

The junior riders shone, including podium regular Chloe Buckley, while Thomas said he was pleased his grandad Don, 67, took out third in the CGrade to Omnium.

“It was 10 out of 10 for excitement,” Thomas said.

Will said the NQ Games was “really good”.

Rayner was excited to ride on a banked track and medal with gold for one handicap, the team sprint, silver in another handicap and three bronze.

She said her dad rode third in the team sprint, first in a points race and fourth in the Omnium series.

At Yungaburra, athletes included the Thompson family, which comprised parents John and Gerna, with daughters Rone and Lelanie.

In the TWW Women’s team, Rone, Gerna and Petra Anderson took gold in the women’s team sprint distance, while the TWW Zebra team, which comprised Pieter Taylor, John Thompson and Lelanie, took silver in the mixed team sprint distance.

Other TWW athletes included Russell Molina and Ricky, Wade and Julie Groth.