On Monday August 14, 2023 it was announced Australia has topped the medal tally at Trinbago 2023, claiming 64 medals including 26 gold, 17 silver and 21 bronze.
Residents who were part of the Australian team were Athletics: Jackson Love (Sydney Pacific Athletics - Warriewood resident) – Men’s 100m T38, Long Jump; Fleur Cooper (UTS Norths - Allambie resident) – Women’s 800m, 1500m; Rugby 7's: Piper Simons (Manly Mermaids Rugby Union), Anaia Cruickshank (Manly Mermaids); Swimming: Lillie McPherson (Manly Swimming Club), Samuel Higgs (Warringah Aquatic Swim); and in Volleyball: Jett Rocker-Graham (Northern Beaches Volleyball).
The green and gold were successful in every sport on the program, winning at least one medal in each of athletics, beach volleyball, cycling, FAST5 netball, rugby sevens, swimming and triathlon.
The gold rush began from the first event, with Lauren Bates (ACT) and Keira Will (NSW) claiming the one-two in the women’s road race on the opening morning of competition.
Bates and Will were joined on the podium that day by men’s road race bronze medallist Will Heath (QLD), as the cycling team across the road and track won ten gold, four silver and six bronze medals.
Of the seven athletes competing for Australia in Port of Spain, six will now make their way to the 2023 UCI Junior World Track Championships to be held in Cali, Colombia from 23 August.
The competition program also featured para-sport for the first time, with a six-strong cohort competing in athletics as able-bodied and para-athletes came together to compete in track and field.
Jackson Love (NSW) soared to an Oceania and Australia record in the men’s T38 long jump for athletes with cerebral palsy to lead Australia’s para-athletics medal haul, also winning bronze in the men’s T38 100m.
His teammate Ori Drabkin (VIC) won the men’s T38 long jump silver, while Indi Cooper (NSW) and Akeesha Snowden (SA) medalled in in the women’s T38 100m and Niamh MacAlasdair (WA) and Reese Prior (WA) stood on the podium in the women’s T38 long jump.
Delta Amidzosvki (NSW) led the charge on the track, too, winning double gold in the women’s 100m hurdles and women’s long jump, as the Australian athletics team heads home with five gold, six silver and seven bronze.
At the pool, Inez Miller (WA) and Mikayla Bird (QLD) were dominant, claiming a medal in each of the seven events they participated.
Miller won gold in the women’s 200m and 400m freestyle, as well as the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay, alongside women’s 100m freestyle silver and three bronze medals across the women’s 50m freestyle and mixed 4x100m freestyle and medley relays.
Bird was dominant in the butterfly, taking victory in the women’s 100m and 200m, as well as bronze in the women’s 50m. She also won gold alongside Miller in the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay, as well as bronze in the women’s 200m freestyle and mixed 4x100m freestyle and medley relays.
The green and gold wrapped up their swimming campaign with seven gold, six bronze and seven silver medals.
Triathlon and FAST5 netball also made their Commonwealth Youth Games debut at Trinbago 2023.
Echoing the stunning world championship win of the Australian Diamonds in Cape Town, the FAST5 netball team were crowned Commonwealth Youth Games champions after being unrivalled across their three group matches, the semi-final and gold medal match.
Their most dominant display was a 64-2 win against Games hosts Trinidad and Tobago, as well as important victories over England and South Africa to stand atop the podium.
At the triathlon, Aspen Anderson (QLD) won individual gold in the women’s individual super sprint and team gold alongside Jack Latham (TAS), who also won bronze in the men’s individual event.
A resounding gold was also achieved by the Australian women’s rugby sevens team, with a 50-0 win over Canada in the final wrapping up a strong campaign that saw only 12 points scored against the green and gold across a seven-match series.
The beach volleyball rounded out Australian action at Trinbago 2023, with the four-strong squad winning women’s silver thanks to Jasmine Rayner (QLD) and Cameron Zajer (SA) and narrowly missing a medal for fourth in the men’s tournament.
“Trinbago 2023 has been a resounding success and I could not be more proud of the Australian team and how it has embraced opportunity to compete,” Ellie Cole OAM, Australian Team General Manager, said.
“As we’ve heard time and time again from participating athletes, this experience is critical to their development in the high-performance system.
“The investment made here will set these young athletes up for future success, whether it be at world junior championships in the coming year or open-age multi-sport events like the Commonwealth Games in the future.
“I’ve been inspired by how our team has embraced their fellow competitors. To see them interacting and building friendships with people of varied backgrounds from all corners of the globe was one of my personal highlights.
“As a Paralympian, I also loved seeing para-athletes on the team for the first time and am confident the program will expand beyond just athletics at future Commonwealth Youth Games.”
Commonwealth Games Australia has invested more than $1 million to ensure the Australian team for Trinbago 2023 was competition ready.
The Australian team included 51 female and 24 male athletes, including five who are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
An impressive 63 sporting clubs and 58 high schools from every state and territory are represented, with more than 70 family, friends and Sideline Champions joining the 39 team officials to cheer on our young talent.
To read more about the stunning performance of Australia at the Commonwealth Youth Games, visit commonwealthgames.com.au.