Balanced approach earns top award

By David Nagel
BERWICK Gymnast Ashleigh Brennan has capped off a memorable year by being named the Victorian Female Athlete of the Year at the Vic Sport Awards held at the Crown Entertainment Complex on Monday night.
The significance of Brennan’s achievement was highlighted by the quality of the Male Athlete of the Year winner, Tour De France winner Cadel Evans.
The affable Brennan was also part of the Victorian senior international team that took home the Victorian Women’s Team of the Year award for their performance at this year’s national championships.
Brennan was stoked about Monday night’s award ceremony.
“It was just such a great honour to receive the award, when you look at the names that have won this award in the past, it’s just amazing,” Brennan said.
“This will definitely motivate me heading towards the Olympics next year.”
Brennan has represented Australia on numerous occasions at the world’s biggest meets; she is a dual Commonwealth Games medallist and was part of the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing. It was after the Beijing Olympics that she took nearly a year off to discover herself as a person and she likes what she found.
“I’ve got a much better balance in my life now compared to before Beijing. Back then it was all gymnastics but now I have other things to keep that balance.
“I’m studying exercise and sport science at uni, I was doing that full-time for a while but now its part-time which makes it easier for training, and I’m passionate about the sport science.”
Brennan’s next big challenge is to make the London Olympic team. She will be off to America in March for the Pacific Rim titles and then Olympic trials in May. She will spend the next few months working on her fitness and routines before the New Year rolls around. She knows through experience how quickly things will evolve.
“I remember how quickly it went last time, it really does happen so fast,” she said.
Brennan is highly regarded for her team approach to competition, she remembers the support she received from the older members of the team when she first started and is proud that she has now worked her way into that senior position.
“From the outside gymnastics looks like such an individual sport but it’s not the case at all, you really do rely on your team-mates at the big events,” she said.
“That’s why it was so nice to be recognised as the team of the year, it gives recognition to the whole group.”
Brennan had a great time on Monday night and appreciated the support she received from other sports people, some that she’d never met before.
“That was the highlight, so many people were so happy for me, I had one lady come up to me saying she won the award in 1973 and it was great to see me win it.
“I’m so proud of the recognition it has given our sport.”