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Olympic
hopes take giant leap A COLD, dark Acacia Ridge warehouse is an unlikely starting place for an assault on the pinnacle of world sport. But for two Brisbane ice skaters, every hour spent in training at the Iceworld rink brings them a step closer to their Olympic dream. Now, thanks to a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Winter Sports, Stephanie Zhang and Anthony Liu will be able to hone their skills in competition with the world's best. The scholarship programme is the same one that propelled skiers Zali Steggal and Kirstie Marshall to international success and is worth at least $100,000 a year for the skaters. Already ranked No 10 in the world, Liu, 25, said the scholarships would give the two skaters the chance to be the best they could be. "In Australia, we are a long way away from the rest of the world. This money will give us a chance to travel to the United States and Russia and learn from the world's best," he said. "Just being there is the best training we could ever get." For Zhang, who at 14 won both the junior and senior titles at the Australian nationals earlier this year, the scholarship will help her juggle her schooling with her training regime. She spends four hours a day, six days a week working on her programme, leaving little time to fit in her Year 8 studies at MacGregor State High School. "Some of the money might be able help pay for some tutoring for when I can't make it to school," Zhang said. AIWS programme manager Belinda Trussell said the two had the potential to reach the pinnacle of the sport. She said Liu, one of only a few skaters in the world landing quadruple jumps, could "go as far as he wants to go. And he wants to be the best". |
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