The 2014 Illawarra Mercury Tobin Family Award Winner has had another exceptional year. Mitchell was once again selected for the Australian National Road Championships where he was crowned National Road Race Champion and won Bronze in the Time Trial.

Mitchell was then selected to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, where he finished 8th in the Time Trial and 12th in the Road Race.

Mitchell was then selected to make his Cycling Australia National Team debut at the 2017 UCI Road World Championships held in Norway in September, where he once again competed in the Time Trial and Road Race, finishing 17th in the time trial and 52nd in the road race after two crashes. 

Wright has been riding a wave of success that has seen him racing against the world’s best riders. The 17-year-old Wollongong resident, who is a first year Under 19 rider, has a very bright future and is still eligible to compete in the Junior Men’s Category again next year.

In honour of former IAS Cycling Athlete Ben Mikic who tragically died in a cycling accident in 2007, the IAS Cyclist of the Year receives the Ben Mikic Memorial Award. The recipient of the Ben Mikic Memorial Award receives a $500 scholarship courtesy of the Ben Mikic Foundation.

Established in 1985 and the pioneer for the Regional Academy model in Australian sport, the Illawarra Academy of Sport with the support of our many partners, provides athletes with the programs to develop, excel and achieve through sport. The IAS is at the forefront of pre-elite athlete development in NSW and prides itself on the ability to engage the region’s leading coaches and industry experts to deliver life-changing programs.

Talented young athletes and coaches within the Illawarra region not only achieve excellence through sport but become respected young ambassadors for the community, the Illawarra Academy of Sport and their valued partners.

The Illawarra has a rich history in developing and elevating athletes to higher representative honours, with the Academy a significant vehicle in the process. Over three decades, the IAS has supported more than 5500 young people from across the region in their pursuit of sporting excellence.

The IAS has produced 15 Olympians (17 medals), 17 Commonwealth Games Representatives (25 medals), 11 World Champions and 72 Senior National Team Representatives over the past three decades.