Sara Carrigan

Sara Carrigan OAM
Personal information
Born	7 September 1980 (age 43); Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australia
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Medal record
Representing Australia
Women's road cycling
Olympic Games
Commonwealth Games

Sara Carrigan OAM (born 7 September 1980 in Gunnedah, New South Wales) is an Olympic Gold Medallist professional cyclist from Australia, who commenced her cycling career in 1996 at the age of fifteen after being identified through a High School Sports Talent Search. After 10 years of elite competition, Sara announced her retirement from professional sport in December 2008 following the Beijing Olympic Games. A few months later, she founded ‘Sara Carrigan Cycling’ providing coaching clinics to recreational riders in a friendly, fun and safe environment to deliver rudimentary cycling skill courses, group rides and safety sessions for all levels of ability.

She was formerly a member of the Belgian Professional cycling Team Lotto–Belisol Ladiesteam and Dutch Van Bemmelen – AA Drink Team. She currently lives in Mermaid Beach in Queensland and is a member of the Gold Coast cycling club. She graduated from Somerset College in 1998 and completed her tertiary education at Griffith University with a Bachelor of Business majoring in Real Estate & Property Development and was awarded Academic Excellence top 5% of students.^[1]

Her greatest success as a road cyclist has been in the 2004 Summer Olympics Women's Road race where she won the gold medal. With a few laps to the finish Carrigan bridged a gap to the break away group to join fellow Australian cyclist, Oenone Wood. At the start of the final lap Carrigan broke away again, and only Judith Arndt of Germany closed the gap to join Sara, and the duo went on to a sprint finish where Carrigan outsprinted Arndt and won the Olympic Gold medal for Australia.^[2]

Over Carrigan's career, she was a two-time National Champion, World Cup winner, 12-time Australian Championship medallist, Australian representative at 8 World Championships, 2 Olympic Games (2004 and 2008) and 2 Commonwealth Games (2002 and 2006). three-time Australian Female Road Cyclist of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Carrigan received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the 2005 Australia Day Honours List.^[3]. In 2009, a street was named in her honour– Sara Carrigan Crt. She was inducted into both the Gold Coast & QLD Sporting Hall of Fame in 2012 and in 2015, she was an inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductee.^[4]. an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.^[5] She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the 2005 Australia Day Honours List.^[3] Other awards include Australian Female Road Cyclist of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004.

Palmarès[edit]

1999: 1st Teams TT Prologue Trophee d'Or FRA; 1st U23 Thuringen Rundfahrt GER
2000: 1st Stage 8 Tour de Snowy NSW
2001: 1st Sprint Classification Giro della Toscana ITA; 1st U23 Trophee d'or Feminin FRA; 1st U23 Tour de Snowy AUS
2002: 1st Australian National Time Trial Championships, VIC
2003: 1st Road Geelong World Cup AUS; 1st Stage 5 TT Tour de l'Aude FRA; 1st Stage 7b Tour de l'Aude FRA; 1st Time Trial Australian Titles VIC
2004: 1st 2004 Summer Olympics Road Race GRE
2005: 2nd Australian National Time Trial Championships SA; 2nd Australian National Road Race Championships SA; 2nd Stage 4 Women's Tour NZL; 2nd Individual Pursuit Australian Track Titles SA; 3rd Overall Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon Feminas ESP; 3rd Stage 1 Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon Feminas ESP
2006: 2nd Australian National Time Trial Championships; 2nd Australian National Road Race Championships
2007: 1st Sprint classification Bay Classic Series AUS

References[edit]

^ O'Grady, Stephen (28 December 2011). "Quick quiz for aspiring students" (Press release). Griffith University. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
^ Berlin, Peter (16 August 2004). "Olympics: Roundup; Cycling: Australian Wins With Late Rush – The". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Sara Carrigan". Cycling Australia.
^ "Inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductees". Cycling Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
^ AIS Athletes at the Olympics Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]

[1] O'Grady, Stephen (28 December 2011). "Quick quiz for aspiring students" (Press release). Griffith University. Retrieved 14 April 2018.

[2] Berlin, Peter (16 August 2004). "Olympics: Roundup; Cycling: Australian Wins With Late Rush – The". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2020.

[:0-3] "Sara Carrigan". Cycling Australia.

[inugural-4] "Inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductees". Cycling Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2015.

[5] AIS Athletes at the Olympics Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

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