Amy Gillett

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Amy Gillett
Amy Gillett

Amy Gillett (January 9, 1976 - July 18, 2005) was an Australian cyclist and rower who represented Australia in both sports before her untimely death in a training accident when a motorist crashed into the Australian squad of cyclists she was training with.

She was born Amy Safe in Adelaide and was a world champion junior rower winning a gold medal in the coxless pairs in the Junior World Championships in 1993 and the women's single scull in 1994. Safe came fifth in the single scull in the Nations Cup held in Paris the same year.

At 20, she was a member of the Australian women's eight at the Atlanta Olympics. She was coached by Simon Gillett during her rowing career and later married him in January 2004 moving to Mt. Helen near Ballarat. After failing to make the Australian rowing team for the Sydney Olympics, she was identified as a cyclist with potential.

In 2002 Gillett was 1st in the Individual Pursuit Australian Titles, held in Victoria. From 2002 to 2005, she was a member of the Australian Institute of Sport elite cycling squad and represented Australia in the 2002 and 2003 Cycling World Cups. While she was not a member of the Australian cycling team for the 2004 Athens Olympics, her results during 2005 were steadily improving including a third place in the 2005 Australian Open Road Championships. She was rated as one of the top 100 women road cyclists at the time of her death and Australian cycling officials had identified her as a potential medallist in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the time trial.

She died after an accident near Zeulenroda, Germany on 18 July 2005 when an 18 year old learner driver lost control of her car and ran into her squad. Five of her Australian team mates including Katie Brown, Lorian Graham, Kate Nichols, Alexis Rhodes and Louise Yaxley were taken to hospital, with Rhodes and Yaxley suffering major trauma. Graham and Brown had incurred fractures and Nichols had torn tendons requiring surgery. Gillett was undertaking a doctorate at the University of South Australia at the time of her death.

Simon Gillet and the Australian Cycling Federation have established the Amy Gillet-Safe Foundation [1] which aims to:

  • provide financial support for the rehabilitation of Amy's five injured team members;
  • fund and administer a scholarship program for young women cyclists to support their sporting and academic endeavours
  • support and promote projects aimed at road safety awareness amongst cyclists and motorists

On the first anniversary of the death of Amy the Foundation launched a television advertisement to improve understanding between cyclists and motorists on Australian roads.

[edit] References

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