Athletes (Sally Robbins, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Caroline Pileggi, Lorian Graham, Sharon Anyos)

The rower Sally Robbins (b. 1981) remains best known for her performance in the Women's Eight final at the 2004 Olympics, during which she appeared to cease rowing 500 metres from the finish line, denying Australia a possible Bronze medal, igniting furious public debate, and earning herself the unshakeable nickname "Lay Down Sally". After a period out of the spotlight she made a comeback to competitive rowing in early 2006, earning selection in Western Australia's Women's Eight squad for the national titles in March. Success at the nationals could see her enter the reckoning for a place on the Australian team for Beijing 2008.

Cathryn Fitzpatrick (b. 1968) is considered the fastest bowler in women's cricket. Since first representing Australia in 1991 she has accumulated numerous cricketing honours, including most recently the 2005 World Cup. In 2004 she was named Australia's International Cricketer of the Year. After the Australian team's 2005 tour of England - during which Australia narrowly lost the Ashes but won the 5-match limited over series - Fitzpatrick parried speculation about her retirement by suggesting that her best cricketing moment might still lie ahead of her. Indeed, in February 2006 she took a five wicket haul as Australia walloped India by six wickets in the first one-day women's international in Adelaide. Fitzpatrick's three-wicket opening burst left India reeling at 4 for 19, a position from which they were unable to recover. Having earned her living in the past as a garbage- and post-woman, she currently works as a scholarship coach with the Australian Sports Commission.

Weightlifter Caroline Pileggi (b. 1977) represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and went on to win three medals - a gold and two silvers - at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in the Women's Over-75kg class. Her career took a body blow in 2004, when the Australian Sports Drug Agency found her guilty of refusing to submit to a drugs test. Pileggi appealed against her omission, claiming the drug testers didn't follow protocols as they did not inform her she was required to take a test. She was however handed a two-year ban from the sport - a punishment that saw her removed from the Athens Olympics. Pileggi is currently considering whether she will resume training and return to her sport later this year.

The cyclist Lorian Graham (b. 1977) trained at the AIS between 2002 and 2005, and became Australia's National Road Cycling Champion in January 2005. In July of the same year, during a training ride near Leipzig, Germany, she was one of five Australian cyclists injured in the tragic road accident that claimed the life of rider Amy Gillett. Lorian, who was left with a shattered kneecap, has been undergoing rehabilitation therapy ever since, and recently resumed training on a modified bike. She had hoped to recover in time to defend her national title in January 2006, but by the time of the event her injured leg had yet to regain full extension or bend. She works as an ambassador for the Amy Gillet Safe Cycling Foundation, which promotes awareness of cyclists among other road users.

Sharon Anyos (b. 1970) is Australia's only World Champion female boxer. After early success in karate - she competed in her first tournament at the age of 6, and won the Australian Women's Championship in 1986 - she turned to the sport of kickboxing, winning Australia's National Lightweight title in 1989. In 1998 she made her pro boxing debut in Australia's first ever officially sanctioned women's fight, winning the Australian National Boxing Federation's (ANBF) Junior Lightweight title by technical knockout (TKO) in the second round. Trained by Jeff Fenech, Anyos went on to capture International Featherweight Titles with both the World Boxing Council (WBC) and world boxing Foundation (WBF). In 2000 she was officially named the "First Lady of Australian Boxing".

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2006
© Toni Wilkinson