Sarah Nicki awarded Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship

AusCycling BMX Freestyle national champion Sarah Nicki is among 10 emerging stars who will receive Tier 2 scholarships from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) in its 2024 Scholarship and Mentoring Program.

Tier 2 scholarship recipients each receive a grant of $5,000 plus support from the SAHOF and its member base over the next 16 months to help with financial and sport-related challenges.

The SAHOF Scholarship & Mentoring Program – the nation’s leading sports scholarship program – is backed by the Australian Sports Commission incorporating the Australian Institute of Sport.

The three-tiered program awards annual funding of $150,000 across 32 scholarships to support the next generation of Australia’s sporting stars on their journey to excellence and success in sport and in life.

The list of 2024 Tier 2 scholarship recipients include Sarah Nicki (BMX Freestyle), Maya Stasiuk (Sport Climbing), Poppy Wilson (Para Swimming), Brock Batty (Gymnastics – Trampoline), Leon Sejranovic (Taekwondo), Casey Isles (Archery), Susannah Lutze (Para Rowing), Calab Law (Athletics), Evie Saunders (Sailing) and Chelsea Jones (Life Saving – Royal).

As well as funding via a sporting expenses grant, all three tiers include SAHOF encouragement and support via various initiatives throughout the program, and are provided with merchandise from SAHOF’s partners.

Last week the Sport Australia Hall of Fame unveiled the athletes awarded a $10,000 Tier 1 scholarship within its 2024 Scholarship & Mentoring program, with Tier 3 scholarship winners to be announced next week.

Sarah Nicki on being selected as a 2024 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder
“Being awarded a SAHOF Scholarship was a shock and an honour amongst so many other hard-working athletes. This scholarship will allow me to continue to work towards my short- and long-term goals and achieve more in 2024. I am excited about the extra training and competition opportunities that the scholarship funding will open up and the additional time I will be able to put into coaching and supporting the next generation.”

AusCycling Chief Executive Officer, Marne Fechner
"Sarah Nicki is a rising star of BMX Freestyle in Australia, and AusCycling is incredibly proud to share the news that she has been awarded a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship for 2024. Over the last 18 months, Sarah has won back-to-back titles in both the AusCycling National Championships and the Oceania Continental Championships, and along with her family, relocated to the Gold Coast to be closer to our national BMX Freestyle training facility. Sarah has achieved Emerging Athlete categorisation in both 2022 and 2023 and is a deserving recipient of this scholarship. We can’t wait to see where it will help take her in the sport."

Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program Chair, Sue Stanley OAM
“I am so impressed by the breadth of talent we have amongst our junior athletes in this country. This year we received the most applications on record for our Scholarship and Mentoring Program, and I am excited to follow the journeys of the 32 young athletes who have been selected as they strive to achieve the highest level in their chosen sport.

“With the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games fast approaching, it will be a particularly exciting year ahead following the journey of our current and past scholarship holders who are working towards competing in these Games. It is a privilege to play a small part in assisting elite young Australian athletes by motivating and inspiring them to achieve their goals.”

Read the full media release.

Images: SWpix.com