Swimming
Records fall as QAS swimmers build momentum towards LA 2028
Nineteen QAS-supported swimmers were selected for Australia’s 37-member team for the three-day championships in Walnut from ...
Australian beach volleyball secured a golden double and two quota spots for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, with Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS)-supported Taliqua Clancy and Stefie Fejes leading a standout Queensland contribution on and off the court.
Clancy and Fejes defeated host nation China 2-0 (22-20, 21-16) in the women’s final, securing Australia’s Olympic quota under the new LA 2028 qualification system.
The Asian Championships provided the first opportunity for nations to secure beach volleyball quota spots for LA 2028, with the gold-medal nation in each gender earning a place at the Games.
For triple Olympian Clancy, the victory marked a sixth Asian Beach Volleyball Championship gold medal and another significant step towards a fourth Olympic campaign.
“I’m really just so excited. Even though this was my sixth win it feels as exciting as my first, and to do it with Stefie was just really special,” Clancy said.
“We haven’t had the smoothest preparation coming into this event, but we just maintained our resilience and took it one game at a time.”
With the quota secured almost two years out from the Games, Clancy said the early certainty was particularly significant.
“Honestly, it’s so surreal to have the spot confirmed already. Every Olympic cycle, there is always something different, something that changes, and with this new change, well, it’s good to know we got that part of the job done,” Clancy said.
“To have the men’s spot confirmed too is honestly incredible.”
Australia completed its golden double in the men’s competition, with Queenslander Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher taking the title in an all-Australian final.
Nicolaidis and Carracher edged fellow Australians Ben Hood and Tom Hodges in three sets, with both Australian combinations reaching the decider to guarantee the nation’s men’s quota spot before the final began.
“To have the Olympic spot locked in almost two years out is not something we have experienced before,” Nicolaidis said.
“But the job is not done… we want to get two [Australian] men’s teams in LA 2028.
We want to increase our world rankings for the seeding, and we want to ensure we do everything we can to not just compete, but be competitive and finish on the Olympic podium.”
