Scholarships get 12 Aussie champions-in-the-making closer to elite sport goals

Along with a weekly average of 20 hours of work on her PhD in health and wellbeing education for female triathletes at the University of Canberra (UC), triathlete Penny Slater maintains a gruelling training regimen of about 30 hours per week.

That’s what it’ll take for her to reach her lofty ultimate goal: getting on the podium, if not winning, the Ironman World Championship in the next five years.

Now she’s one step closer. She has joined an elite athlete cohort of 12 students, including Olympians, Paralympians and local talent from some of Canberra’s leading high-performance sports teams, and was awarded an Eldon and Anne Foote Elite Athlete Scholarship at UC.

The scholarships, ranging from $5000 to $10,000, have been presented annually at the University since 2015. This year’s recipients include athletes competing in high-level sports such as swimming, basketball, triathlon, rugby and soccer.

“For me, it’s confirmation that I can study and still maintain elite levels in my chosen sport,” she says.

“Between my under and postgrad studies, I’ve been at UC almost a decade, and it means a lot to be supported and that they recognise my value to the university.”

Penny, who started her triathlon journey just out of high school and went pro about five years ago, has already proven she’s a legitimate contender in the pinnacle of tri-athleticism that is Ironman.

She’s a two-time U23 Elite World Triathlon champ and recently achieved her best result yet, placing second at Ironman Texas.

Her Eldon and Anne Foote Elite Athlete Scholarship funds will go towards giving her an edge at this year’s female-only Ironman World Championships in Nice, France.

“The funds mean I can go over to Nice eight weeks ahead of the Championship with my training partner, who will help me prepare for the event, so I can have the best possible race day come the end of September,” she says.

“The calibre of competitor is really high now; just last weekend, the world record for women was broken by 10 minutes. My focus is to get better in all three disciplines because these days, abilities must be extremely high in all three – you can’t have a weakness.

“Last year, I came 13th. This year, I’m going to try to get as close to the top five as possible.”

UC Director of Sport Carrie Graf says the annual scholarships supported by the Eldon and Anne Foote Trust provide elite athletes with the opportunity to pursue study while continuing to train and focus on their respective sports interests.

“Participating in high-performance sports and studying to obtain a university degree requires a huge amount of dedication and effort. These scholarships help to ease some of their financial pressures and go a long way to helping them achieve their goals in the classroom and their respective sporting fields,” Ms Graf says.

“The range of sports among this year’s scholarship recipients exemplify the kind of support that we provide here at UC – any elite athlete can come here and perfect their craft and compete at the highest levels while receiving quality education and institutional support in the process.”

The Eldon and Anne Foote Elite Athlete Scholarships are awarded in addition to the University’s long-standing Elite Athlete Program, further affirming UC’s place as a leading sporting university in Australia.

The 2024 Eldon and Anne Foote Elite Athlete Scholarship recipients are:

• Penny Slater, Triathlon
• Mitchell Baker, Race Walking
• Henry Palmer, Rugby 7s
• Alex Saffy, Para Swimming
• Jasmine Greenwood, Para Swimming
• Kayla Hardy, Swimming
• Jayda Clark, Basketball (UC Capitals)
• Gabrielle Sutcliffe, Cricket (ACT Meteors)
• Jesse Moore, Gymnastics
• Ari Gesini, Para Athletics
• Ashley Fernandez, Rugby (Brumbies Women)
• Sofia Christopherson, Soccer (Canberra United).

For more information, visit the Eldon and Anne Foote Elite Athlete Scholarship.