In the City of Logan we are making history.
And it’s often sport that propels our city on to the world stage.
Who can forget the last man standing Steve Bradbury, the four-time Olympic speed skater who was in the right place at the right time to clinch gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics?
Or the rugby league heroics of former Australian and Maroons captain Cameron Smith or his mate Corey Parker.
Last week, when the city was plunged into COVID-19 lockdown, loungerooms bounded with hope and excitement as our newest Olympic heroes strived for success in Tokyo.
And boy, didn’t they deliver.
Logan Martin’s stellar run in the freestyle BMX had us on the edge of our seats as he clinched the sport’s first gold medal at an Olympics.
Cool, calm, collected and a wonderful ambassador for his city and his sport, we couldn’t ask for much more.
When Logan helped Council to design and launch the world-class Doug Larsen Park at Beenleigh, we knew he was something special.
In the City of Logan you can dream big.
Just one week ago most people might not have heard of Ash Maloney.
Now he’s a house-hold name with a hard-earned bronze medal.
Ash believed he could beat the best in the world in the gruelling 10-event decathlon – touted as the toughest sport in the Olympics.
The 21-year-old went where no Australian has gone before and won Australia’s first medal in the event and the first of any colour in Tokyo track and field.
The kid who trained at Jimboomba Little Athletics is now one of our dynamos – a true bronzed Aussie – and he has plenty more fuel left in the tank.
While the medals are the glistening reminders of success on the world stage, one of the great takeways was how well these two athletes handled themselves.
There was no brashness or cockiness, just two champion blokes from the City of Logan whose passion and determination fuelled the fire to take them all the way to the top.
The City of Logan is committed to creating pathways for future champions and I’m sure we will see many more.
Just last week we launched the popular Game on for Women initiative to increase female participation in sport.
While both our most recent Olympic champions credit part of their success to the excellent sporting and training facilities right here in the city, we are investing more in this space to give more of our young athletes a chance to dream of an Olympic, Commonwealth Games or world championships appearance.
The Cronulla Park PCYC will offer rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, a gym and boxing; there’s the Logan North Aquatic 50m pool upgrade; improved mountain bike tracks; and new netball courts at Jimboomba.
Next time you’re at a sporting facility in the city, just think, one of those kids could be a future Olympian or our next gold medal champion.
Dare to dream? You bet.
This is the City of Logan, where anything is possible.
