Elite athletes to hit college track, pool
PARALYMPIC gold medallists and 2020 Tokyo Olympics hopefuls are soon set to grace the ground of a Gold Coast school after it was recognised as an official training venue of the Triathlon Australia Gold Coast Performance Centre.
Somerset College has partnered with Triathlon Australia to become the new home of Gold Coast triathletes and Olympic hopefuls such as Paralympic gold medal winner Katie Kelly, Matthew Hauser, Jaz Hedgeland and more.
The Mudgeeraba college already boasts world-class sporting facilities including a fully equipped fitness centre, IAAFaccredited 10-lane synthetic running track and Olympicsize swimming pool.
The facilities already play host to several state and international sporting teams including Viking Athletics and the Bond University Bull Sharks netball squad.
Somerset College sports facilities manager Damian Flint is hoping the agreement will inspire Somerset students as they witness sporting excellence first-hand.
“This is another great opportunity for our students to be surrounded by high-performance athletes who will utilise our sports facilities on a regular basis,” he said.
Triathlon Australia Gold Coast Performance Centre coach Dan Atkins hopes the athlete’s presence at the college will help to inspire junior triathlon students. “For us, [Somerset College] gives us a sense of an area we belong to, and a way to add value to the community,” he said.