This year the ABC asked Australians to vote for their top 10 Australian athletes, and three women made the cut.
Three incredible and outstanding women who stood on podiums, held up trophies and led teams as captains all caught the eye of the Australian public and earned well deserved spots in the top 10 as voted by our nation.
Laura Geitz came in at number 10.
Geitz was captain of the Australian netball team, the Diamonds. She led the team to become Netball World Cup champions. Her defence during the final against New Zealand was flawless and incredible to watch.
The 28-year-old also starred in our national netball final. The game between the Queensland Firebirds and NSW Swifts was a nail-biter, with the Firebirds just clipping a win with a final score of 57 – 56. Again Geitz played a crucial role in her team’s victory.
“The 11 girls standing behind me are just the most incredible girls that I could ever wish to play the game of netball with. Every second has been enjoyable,” Geitz told the ABC.
At number seven in the top 10 Australian sportspeople was Ellyse Perry. A name we hear over and over again.
First and foremost we must always remember that Perry is an incredible athlete because she plays two sports at an international level – that in itself is a huge feat.
But what has seen Perry’s huge success this year is in her decision to focus mostly on cricket. She has improved immensely from what was already a very talented game.
The 25-year-old topped the run-score and wicket-taking in the 2015 Southern Stars’ Ashes series. The Ashes series was the main competition for the women’s Australian team this year and Perry performed extremely well. She scored 264 runs and took 16 wickets.
Due to her stellar performance at the Ashes, Perry was named player of the series – a title well deserved.
