As the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are just around the corner, we are excited to share, celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of some of our very own Olympians.
Melbourne Girls Grammar has a rich history of sporting excellence. Our sporting programs provide opportunities for all Grammarians to participate in sport, whether it is for exercise, fun, skill development or following a high performance pathway to the national, world or Olympic stage.
At MGGS, the Artemis Centre is our home of sport and wellbeing. Artemis is a world-class purpose-built facility that represents our commitment to developing strong, confident, and capable Grammarians, ready to meet the current moment and embrace the future with the skills, capacities, behaviours and understanding to be active and fit for life. Our current and future Grammarians are lucky to have access to the wonderful facilities at Artemis—many of the Grammarians mentioned below could have only dreamed of such a beautiful space to train and compete in while they were at Merton Hall!
We hope you enjoy reading about these Old Grammarians and other MGGS Community members who have competed at the Olympics, stretching right back to the 1932 Games.
1932 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles: Frances Vorrath (Bult, 1931) came fifth in the 100 metre freestyle final, in an event where the first five place getters all broke the world record. By the age of 18, she was the fastest swimmer in Australia, setting records which remained unbroken for many years. It was very unusual for a Victorian to be so successful at a time when there was only one 25 yard heated pool for winter training. The Olympic Team travelled by ship to Los Angeles and arrived with one month to complete their training after the sea voyage.
1956 Summer Olympics – Melbourne: Marg Woodlock (staff member) started teaching Physical Education at MCEGGS in 1958, just after she had represented Australia in the 1956 Games. She competed in shot put and was trained by the renowned coach, Franz Stampfl, who insisted she switch from javelin to shot put. She was still a teenager while competing and remembers having to pinch herself as she walked out onto the MCG. Marg had a very strong influence on sporting involvement and attitudes at the School in the 1960s.
1980 Summer Olympics – Moscow and 1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles: Petra Rivers (1970) excelled at the javelin at school and was also coached by Franz Stampfl. She set new records at the World Junior Titles and won gold at the 1970 and 1974 Commonwealth Games. Unfortunately, she was injured for the 1972 Olympics and was forced to retire through injury in 1975. In a comeback, she competed in both the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles: Jacqui Marshall (1974) represented Australia in Los Angeles in women’s rowing, competing in the single sculls and as reserve for the women’s four who achieved a bronze medal. Jacqui has taught rowing in schools for many years and has won gold medals at Masters Rowing events.
1992 Summer Olympics – Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games: Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling (1996) excelled as a swimmer and represented Singapore at four Olympic Games – 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens. She was a boarder at MGGS in 1995 and 1996, leaving to continue her swimming training. Joscelin was Singapore’s Sportswoman of the Year in 1993, 1995 and 1999. Athletes were unable to win it more than three times. After a 16-year swimming career, Joscelin retired in early 2007.
1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta: Danni Roche OAM (1988) was a gifted hockey player who took up the sport at MGGS. She represented Australia as a member of the gold-medal winning Hockeyroos in Atlanta in 1996. In an interview some years later, she described what it was like to win: “a huge feeling of relief after all the years of training, a feeling of lightness and then excitement!” Danni was awarded an OAM the following year for her service to sport.
2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney:
Sarah D’Arcy (1993) was selected to represent Australia in the 400m freestyle at the Sydney Olympics. Sarah recalls spending countless hours before and after school in swimming training and then five years full time at the Australian Institute of Sport. She had a great win at the 2000 Australian Olympic Trials in the 400m, achieving her dream of selection for the Olympic Team.
Sarah Hammond (1993) was a member of the Australian Handball Team at the 2000 Olympics. Sarah was Sports Vice-Captain in Year 12 and later became a teacher at the School. She transferred her skills in handball to AFL and played in the Victorian Women’s Football League for many years, including 15 grand finals and 11 flags, reaching 240 games until a knee injury finished her playing career. She is now coaching in women’s football.
Kitty Chiller (1981) competed in the Modern Pentathlon in 2000, the first time it had been an Olympic sport. She was another athlete coached by Franz Stampfl at university and it was his suggestion that she aim for the pentathlon event, which involved competition in swimming, horse riding, running, shooting and fencing. Prior to 2000, Kitty had been national champion on 12 occasions, and was ranked number one in the world in 1996, 1997 and 1998, but the sport was not accepted in the Olympics until 2000. Having retired after the 2000 Olympics, Kitty remained in sports administration and in 2012 was appointed Deputy Chef de Mission for the 2012 London Olympics. In 2016, she became the first woman in Australia to hold the title of Chef de Mission at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Kitty was CEO of Gymnastics Australia between 2017 and 2022, and continues to be an Executive Member of the Australian Olympic Committee. In 2018, she was awarded the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Women and Sport Award for Oceania in recognition of her efforts to advance gender equality in sport as an athlete and sports administrator. In 2019 Kitty was awarded an AM for her outstanding services to sport in 2019. Kitty is headed to France again this year as a member of the Australian Olympic Committee.
2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing:
Amber Parkinson (1992) represented Australia in the individual women’s epee event in fencing at the 2008 Games, one of only two Australians to qualify for the fencing competition. Amber began fencing in Year 6 at Morris Hall and was Fencing Captain in 1992. She followed up her interest in fencing at Melbourne University and at individual clubs and worked very hard to qualify finally for the Olympics. She described it as an “incredible, unforgettable experience”.
Angela Darby (2004) represented Australia in the Modern Pentathlon in the Beijing Games. She qualified for the event by winning the Asian and Oceanian Championships in Tokyo. In 2013, she was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, undertaking study in architecture and sustainable development at the University of Oxford.
2008 Summer Games – Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio De Janeiro and 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games: Jeff Riseley (staff member), our current Head of Athletics, has represented Australia at four Olympic Games. Jeff has also competed at four World Championships, been the Australian 1500m Champion four times and 800m Champion twice, and a Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) Scholarship holder for 10 years. Jeff retired from his professional career in March 2021 and since then has spent time coaching at Scotch College, and then spent a semester coaching at Princeton University in the NCAA, as part of his Master’s in High Performance Sport. Jeff started at MGGS in January 2023 and has so far made a big impact on the culture and participation rates in our Athletics program. In Term 2 2024, our Cross Country squad achieved their best results in 10 years, coming second from 24 GSV (Girls Sport Victoria) schools in the GSV Cross Country competition.
2010 Winter Olympics – Vancouver: Sarah Sauvey (2001) represented Great Britain in the freestyle ski cross event, creating history as the first British athlete to compete in ski cross. Sarah started in Morris Hall and completed Year 12 in 2001 as Co-Captain of the Ski Team and Captain of the Softball Team. She credits a lot of her inspiration and motivation to Morris Hall teacher, Jan Ross.
2014 Winter Games – Sochi, 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Olympic Games: Belle Brockhoff (staff member) was employed as a coach in the MGGS Snowsports program in 2019, she has also been a guest speaker at different MGGS Snowsports events over the years. Belle has competed in the women’s and mixed Snowboard Cross events. At her first Olympic Games in 2014, Belle placed 8th in the Snowboard Cross, the highest of all Australian competitors.
2016 Paralympics – Rio de Janeiro: Isis Holt (2019) Isis became our first Paralympian, while a student in Year 9, winning two silver medals and a bronze medal at Rio. Having set world records in the 100m and 200m sprints just before the Olympics, she was named Athletics Australia Para Athlete of the Year. After a break from athletics, Isis competed again at the Tokyo Paralympics in the 100m and 200m sprints in the T35 category and had the whole School behind her. She came second in both events, and broke the world record in the 100m heats. Isis retired from competition November 2022.
2021 Olympics – Tokyo: Sarah Gigante (2018) [the following was written by Sally Bailey, Executive Director, Artemis Programs]“Gigante by Name…and absolutely Giant by Talent”…so said the commentary team in describing the athletic prowess of OG (2018) Sarah Gigante in the 137km Olympic Women’s Road Race in Tokyo on Sunday 25 July 2021, she came 40th. Sarah was also one of two Australians selected for the 22.1km Women’s Individual Time Trial on the challenging Fuji International Speedway Course. The course challenged all riders technically and physically with fast descents, twists and turns, and solid climbing. Sarah placed 11th in this event – just +2:48.11 behind the winner!
“I’m so proud of my performance,” she told reporters at the finish of the time trial when asked to look back at her Olympics in Tokyo. “I couldn’t have done anything more. I gave it everything today and the whole lead up. Considering that I had a really bad crash three months ago, breaking my leg, collarbone and elbow. I came eleventh but it’s everything that I had so I’m proud.”
To read more about Sarah Gigante, you can click here to view our most recent issue of Information Exchange, in which we profiled Sarah in more detail.
The School congratulates these MGGS community members who have demonstrated the highest commitment to their sport and have represented a range of different countries at the Olympic Games. We are immensely proud of the contributions they have each made to their sports and the place of women’s sport on the world stage. Our Grammarians today are fortunate to have these role models to look up to and be inspired by every day.
As the 2024 Olympic Games begin later this week, we look forward to supporting all Australian competitors. The Games will be livestreamed in the Artemis Centre for all to enjoy together throughout the School day.
Interested in reading more about sporting stars from Melbourne Girls Grammar? Read this Herald Sun article from 2023 to learn more!
Compiled by Pip O’Connor (Farrer, 1965) in 2021 when she was the School Historian.