Julie Robyn Speight (born 1 October 1966) is an Australian former cyclist, eight time National champion, and Australia's first female Olympic and Commonwealth Games track cyclist, competing in the women's sprint event at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics[1] and winning a silver medal in the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.[2] At the time, she was described as 'a class above any other female rider in the country.'[3]
Julie Speight
Personal information
Full name
Julie Robyn Speight
Born
(1966-10-01) 1 October 1966 (age 57) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Speight is the only Australian to have held both the national Road Race title and the national Track Sprint title in the same year (1983).[2]
Also in 1983, Speight- along with Michelle Robbins, Elizabeth Battle, and Paula Verral- initiated 'the first organized Australian women's tour of Europe, culminating in the 1983 World road title in Switzerland.'[4] The women self-funded their tour, with the assistance of their respective cycling clubs, as the Australian Cycling Federation refused to support any international women's racing.[4]
In 1984 Speight qualified for the inaugural Women's Road Race at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Australian cycling officials, however, later reneged by electing not to send a women's team to Los Angeles.[5] Instead, Speight was sent to the Yu King Cup Road Race in China, where she became the first Australian female cyclist to win an international race, beating several of her international opponents who went on to race in the Los Angeles Olympics later that year- the very event in which the Australian Cycling Federation disallowed Speight's entry.[5]
When Speight started competing in the early 1980s there were only two national track events in which women could enter - the Sprint, and the Scratch Race.[6] During her career, Speight lobbied for more women's events to be added as state and national titles, and was successful in her campaign to have a Points Race included in the 1990 Australian National Track Championships.[6]
Speight was coached by Ken Smith (1981-1984) and John Crouchley (1986-).[7]
In 2017 Speight was recognized for her trailblazing contribution to Australian women's cycling through her induction into the Cycling Australia Hall of Fame.[8]
Speight lives in Hobart, Tasmania, where she is on the Executive of the Tasmanian Olympic Council and also works to raise awareness of concussion related injuries, namely Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in athletes.[9]
Honoursedit
In 1983, Speight was awarded the Bradley Matthews Memorial Award from Randwick City Council.[10] In 1984 she received the Sydney Girls' High School Old Girls' Union's "Centenary Prize for Excellence", for meritorious completion of her Year 12 studies while simultaneously embarking on an international cycling career.[11]
In 1988 she was nominated for Australian Female Athlete of the Year by the Confederation of Australian Sports.[12] In 1989, Speight was crowned Rider of the Year at T-Town Velodrome, Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, United States,[13] the track from which she would eventually announce her retirement from racing in 1997.
In 1994, Speight was inducted into the Randwick Sporting Hall of Fame.[14] In 2017, Speight was the first female track sprinter to be inducted into the Cycling Australia Hall of Fame.[15]
^Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
julie, speight, julie, robyn, speight, born, october, 1966, australian, former, cyclist, eight, time, national, champion, australia, first, female, olympic, commonwealth, games, track, cyclist, competing, women, sprint, event, 1988, seoul, summer, olympics, wi. Julie Robyn Speight born 1 October 1966 is an Australian former cyclist eight time National champion and Australia s first female Olympic and Commonwealth Games track cyclist competing in the women s sprint event at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics 1 and winning a silver medal in the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games 2 At the time she was described as a class above any other female rider in the country 3 Julie SpeightPersonal informationFull nameJulie Robyn SpeightBorn 1966 10 01 1 October 1966 age 57 Sydney New South Wales AustraliaTeam informationDisciplineTrack Sprint CriteriumRoleRiderRider typeSprint TrackAmateur teams1985 Coors ClassicMcDonalds Dia Compe Suntour1993 1994Fuji World TeamMedal record Trcak cycling Representing Australia Commonwealth Games 1990 Auckland Women s Sprint Contents 1 Biography 2 Honours 3 Major results 4 References 5 External linksBiography editSpeight is the only Australian to have held both the national Road Race title and the national Track Sprint title in the same year 1983 2 Also in 1983 Speight along with Michelle Robbins Elizabeth Battle and Paula Verral initiated the first organized Australian women s tour of Europe culminating in the 1983 World road title in Switzerland 4 The women self funded their tour with the assistance of their respective cycling clubs as the Australian Cycling Federation refused to support any international women s racing 4 In 1984 Speight qualified for the inaugural Women s Road Race at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics Australian cycling officials however later reneged by electing not to send a women s team to Los Angeles 5 Instead Speight was sent to the Yu King Cup Road Race in China where she became the first Australian female cyclist to win an international race beating several of her international opponents who went on to race in the Los Angeles Olympics later that year the very event in which the Australian Cycling Federation disallowed Speight s entry 5 When Speight started competing in the early 1980s there were only two national track events in which women could enter the Sprint and the Scratch Race 6 During her career Speight lobbied for more women s events to be added as state and national titles and was successful in her campaign to have a Points Race included in the 1990 Australian National Track Championships 6 Speight was coached by Ken Smith 1981 1984 and John Crouchley 1986 7 In 2017 Speight was recognized for her trailblazing contribution to Australian women s cycling through her induction into the Cycling Australia Hall of Fame 8 Speight lives in Hobart Tasmania where she is on the Executive of the Tasmanian Olympic Council and also works to raise awareness of concussion related injuries namely Chronic traumatic encephalopathy CTE in athletes 9 Honours editIn 1983 Speight was awarded the Bradley Matthews Memorial Award from Randwick City Council 10 In 1984 she received the Sydney Girls High School Old Girls Union s Centenary Prize for Excellence for meritorious completion of her Year 12 studies while simultaneously embarking on an international cycling career 11 In 1988 she was nominated for Australian Female Athlete of the Year by the Confederation of Australian Sports 12 In 1989 Speight was crowned Rider of the Year at T Town Velodrome Trexlertown Pennsylvania United States 13 the track from which she would eventually announce her retirement from racing in 1997 In 1994 Speight was inducted into the Randwick Sporting Hall of Fame 14 In 2017 Speight was the first female track sprinter to be inducted into the Cycling Australia Hall of Fame 15 Major results edit1983 1st Sprint nbsp Australian National Track Championships 1st Road Race nbsp Australian National Road Championships 3rd Scratch Race Australian National Track Championships DNF Road Race World Road Championships Altenrhein Switzerland 1984 1st Road Race Yu King Cup Road Race Taiyuan China 1985 1st Scratch Race nbsp Australian National Track Championships 1st Points Race Australia Games 3rd Individual Pursuit Australian National Track Championships 82nd Road Race World Track Championships Giavera del Montello Italy 2 x Stage wins Niagara Classic Stage Race known from 2016 as the Steve Bauer Classic Ontario Canada 2nd Wheat Thins Mayor s Cup Series Pittsburgh United States 1986 3rd Scratch Race Australian National Track Championships 1988 1st Sprint nbsp Australian National Track Championships 1st Scratch Race nbsp Australian National Track Championships 5th Sprint Olympic Games Seoul 1989 8th Points Race World Track Championships Lyon France 1990 1st Points Race nbsp Australian National Track Championships 2nd Sprint nbsp 1990 Commonwealth Games Auckland 3rd Sprint Australian National Track Championships 6th Points Race World Track Championships Maebashi Japan 1991 1st Sprint nbsp Australian National Track Championships 3rd Points Race Australian National Track Championships 3rd Mixed Men amp Women Turkey Chase Madison with Paul Pearson Trexlertown Pennsylvania United States 1992 1st Harlem Skyscraper Classic New York United States 2nd Tour of Somerville New Jersey United States 1st Points Race nbsp Australian National Track Championships 2nd Sprint Australian National Track Championships 2nd Scratch Race Australian National Track Championships 15th Points Race World Track Championships Valencia Spain 1996 3rd 500m Time Trial Australian National Track ChampionshipsReferences edit Evans Hilary Gjerde Arild Heijmans Jeroen Mallon Bill et al Julie Speight Olympic Results Olympics at Sports Reference com Sports Reference LLC Archived from the original on 18 April 2020 Retrieved 10 July 2016 a b Julie Speight Cycling Australia Speight Australia s First Female Cyclist Canberra Times 23 April 1988 p 12 a b Schofield Ben 2020 Wheel Life 2 Cycling Recollections of the 1970s amp 1980s Australia Ben Schofield Consultancy p 152 ISBN 9780646831459 a b Howlett Scott 24 February 1985 Medal Hunter Sun Herald a b Setka Dennis 2017 Australian Cycling Championships 1888 2017 Results for Track Road BMX MTB Trials amp Cyclo Cross NSW CycleStats pp 53 59 ISBN 978 0 646 96842 1 Schofield Ben 2020 Wheel Life 2 Cycling Recollections of the 1970s amp 1980s Australia Ben Schofield Consultancy p 250 ISBN 9780646831459 Hall of Fame Cycling Australia NRL slammed over 450 000 pledge for concussion research Sydney Morning Herald 4 December 2019 Retrieved 9 September 2019 Sporting excellence Randwick City Council Sydney High Old Girls Union Facebook Retrieved 8 August 2021 Australian Sport Awards Honour Roll 1980 2007 Confederation of Australian Sport Retrieved 8 December 2020 Rider of the Year Retrieved 9 September 2020 Sporting Excellence Randwick City Council Retrieved 9 September 2020 Hall of Fame Cycling Australia Retrieved 9 September 2020 External links editJulie Speight at Cycling Australia Julie Speight at Cycling Archives nbsp Julie Speight at ProCyclingStats nbsp Julie Speight at Olympics com nbsp Julie Speight at Olympedia nbsp Julie Speight at the Australian Olympic Committee nbsp Julie Speight at the Commonwealth Games Federation archived nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Julie Speight amp oldid 1177444786, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
