St Mark's Olympians

Did you know that St Mark's Anglican Community School has three Olympians amongst our past students? We do, and are very proud of each of them!

Our first Olympian was Adam Lucas, from the Class of 2000. Adam competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics, in the Men's 200m Individual Medley. Adam also competed in four world championships, winning two Silver Medals. Since retiring, Adam keeps fit by playing water polo for Triton Gold. This year, with five other Australian swimming greats - Eamonn Sullivan, Mark Riley, Travis Nederpelt, Jim Piper and Bobby Jovanovich - Adam signed up to swim Channel 7 Port to Pub Swim!

Adam was in Moyes House, and was Captain of the St Mark's ACC Swim Team in Year 12. While the St Mark's Team did not finish on the podium that year, Adam and his teammate Brendon Johnson won 6 out of the 7 Year 12 Boys events on the day.

Our second Olympian was Kim Mickle, who we proudly share with Frederick Irwin Anglican School in Mandurah. Javelin star Kim spent the majority of her school years at 'Freddies', and attended St Mark's for part of her final two years at school. Kim represented Australia at the Olympics in Rio in 2012 and in London in 2016.

Not long after the London Games, Kim was signed up to play footy for Fremantle in the inaugural AFLW season, alongside another St Mark's Old Scholar, Hayley Miller. Kim's love of sport continued, taking on the role of Head Coach at the Christchurch Bulldog's Men's AFL Team in New Zealand in 2020.

Kim was in Challen House, and in Year 11, broke three records at the Interhouse Athletics Carnival, even though she was injured on the day, and was not supposed to compete! Kim set records at the ACC Athletics Carnival too, and her 2001 Javelin record for Freddies will forever remain unbroken, as the age categories for athletics changed in 2010.

Our third Olympian, Tamsin Cook, represented Australian at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and again this year, in the 2021 Tokyo Games. At the time of her Olympic debut, Tamsin was the youngest swimmer selected for the Australian Swim Team. Tamsin was part of the Class of 2016, and had the support of her entire cohort back here in Perth for every race. Her Year 12 friends and former classmates were allowed to watch her races in the Barbara Godwin Performing Arts Complex on the big screen. There was roar from the PAC (and from all the other students watching in their classrooms) when she swam the final leg of the 4x200m freestyle relay, to secure Silver for her team! Tamsin returned to St Mark's for visit following her spectacular Olympic performance, spending time with Primary School students to talk about her experiences - and of course, to show everyone her medal! She had rock star status during her visit, and could barely move through the super excited students, who all wanted to give her high fives!

While at St Mark's, Tamsin was in Watkins House. She was, of course, part of the School's ACC Interschool Swimming Team, and two of the records she set back in 2011 have yet to be beaten!

Tamsin retired from the sport in 2018, due to injuries sustained in a car crash. During the first 2020 lockdown, Tamsin started training again, and it wasn't long before her competitive spirit fired up once more, and she recorded a career best time just six months later! Tamsin was in action in the pool in Tokyo last night (28 July), recording a 1.56.03 leg in the 4x200m freestyle heats, securing the team a spot in the finals. While Tamsin may not have featured in the final race, her efforts in the pool ensured the Australian swimmers reached the finals, and the team finished with a Bronze medal! We are incredibly proud of her, and in particular, her resilience in overcoming significant challenges in the past few years. She is, very definitely, a role model for all our students.

Who will be our next Olympian?