From local sporting champions to Olympic medallists

Olympians Nina Kennedy, Matt Denny, and Jess Hull in their junior sport days

A decade on from receiving Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Local Sporting Champion (LSC) grants, Nina Kennedy, Jess Hull, and Matt Denny have returned home triumphant from Paris after contributing to Australia’s best ever Olympic performance.

Denny started the medal haul at Stade Français after finishing bronze in the discus and was one of the first to congratulate Kennedy after she won gold in the pole vault.

The sight of Denny and Kennedy embracing played a huge role in Hull’s mental preparation for the 1500m, with the eventual silver medallist saying she felt so positive after seeing her World Junior teammates medal that she knew she could do it too.

Matt Denny and Nina Kennedy celebrate bronze and gold at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

From their days at Little Athletics to wearing the green and gold with pride the Olympics, the trio bring Australian Sport’s commitment to Play Well and Win Well to life.

Play Well is the heart of the Australian Sport Participation Strategy and emphasises that ‘everyone has a place in sport’. The strategy aims to change the face of Australian sport by creating safe, welcoming, inclusive and fun sporting environments and experiences.

Play Well’s sister strategy is Australia’s High 2032+ Sport Strategy and its vision, ‘we win well to inspire Australians’. Win Well highlights wellbeing as the foundation of success and balances ambitious performance goals with a culture of care, integrity, fair play, and pride.

Jess Hull claims silver in 1500m at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Hull leant into the people-first mentality of win well when deciding to leave the US and return home to Wollongong to prepare for Paris.

“I think I just was ready to come home,” Hull said.

“I think when we really just looked at what I was missing in like my finishing gear, I was getting really far in these races, but I just wasn't able to close and come home with the hardware. And that's like what we work for. So, we just stripped things back and made it really simple. I stopped trying to be a 1500 and 5K runner and I just said I'm going all in on the 15 and I've had a lot of fun.”

LSC grants are now available for the next generation of coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 years old attending state, national or international championships.

Learn more about the financial assistance available for our future sporting stars through the LSC and Local Para Champion programs.