2025 Induction and Awards Program
Celebration of the 2025 Sport Australia Hall of Fame
This year the Sport Australia Hall of Fame will mark 40 years of celebrating Australia’s long sport legacy. SAHOF will welcome new Inductees who will join the 609 Members in Australia’s greatest sporting team, as well as elevating two Members to Legend status in the Hall of Fame plus the announcement of the 2025 winners of The Don Award and The Dawn Award.
2025 Induction and Awards Gala Dinner
2025 ‘Heroes & Legends’
Witness the stories of courage, tenacity, persistence, triumph and modesty – stories that will inspire a nation, this Saturday evening on Seven.
This Saturday, 6th December, airing straight after Seven’s coverage of Day 3 of the Australia v England Test Match is ‘Heroes and Legends’, the television special featuring the 2025 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Inductees, Legends and Award winners.
Be sure to tune in (*times approximate pending the finish time of the cricket):
- Sydney/Melbourne: 10:35pm
- Brisbane – 9:35pm
- Adelaide – 10.05pm
- Perth – 7:35pm
*If you can’t tune in to the broadcast on Saturday, Heroes & Legends will be available to stream on demand on 7Plus.
The program features insightful interviews with this year’s seven inductees: Cameron Smith AM, Torah Bright OAM, Laura Geitz, Jason Dunstall, Mark Schwarzer OAM, Lleyton Hewitt AM, and Dr Peter Harcourt AM. The TV special celebrates the two newest Legends of Australian Sport – Andrew Gaze AM and Belinda Clark AO – as well as the prestigious Don and Dawn Award winners, Oscar Piastri and Layne Beachley AO
The SAHOF Class of 2025
Torah Bright OAM stands as Australia’s most successful Winter Olympian, having captured one gold and one silver medal across three Olympic Games while elevating snowboarding’s profile throughout the nation. Torah made her Australian Winter Olympic debut at 19 during the 2006 Turin Games, finishing fifth in the Snowboard Halfpipe, just one point shy of the podium. Her competitive excellence continued with gold medals at the 2007 and 2009 Winter X Games, complemented by silver medals in 2006 and 2008. Her defining moment arrived at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Torah faced injury concerns heading into the Halfpipe final. Rising to the occasion with remarkable determination, she delivered a magnificent performance to claim the gold medal. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Torah made history as the first female athlete to compete in three snowboarding events: Slopestyle, Halfpipe and Snowboard-cross. Her silver medal in the Halfpipe secured her position as Australia’s most successful Winter Olympian.
Photo courtesy Alamy.
Lleyton Hewitt AM carried on the rich traditions of Australian tennis greats, with his extraordinary rise to world No. 1 becoming one of Australian sport’s most compelling success stories. With his trademark backwards-facing cap and fierce determination, Hewitt’s journey began in his hometown of Adelaide, where his talent first emerged on the junior circuit. His breakthrough came at the 2001 US Open, where he claimed his first Grand Slam singles title and became the youngest world No. 1 at just 20 years old. Hewitt proved his ascent was no fluke, maintaining the top ranking for 75 consecutive weeks and capturing a second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2002. Known for his feisty on-court demeanour, fist-pumping “C’mon!” roar and aggressive baseline game, Hewitt’s passionate approach didn’t always endear him to everyone, but no one could question his fighting spirit or commitment to Australian tennis. His durability was legendary, playing in a record 20 consecutive Australian Opens while proudly representing his country in Davis Cup competition.
Photo courtesy Alamy.
Regarded as one of the best powerhouse forwards of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jason Dunstall towered over his chosen sport as one of Australian Football’s greatest goalkickers, booting an extraordinary total of 1,254 goals from 269 games with Hawthorn. Dunstall was one of only six players in VFL/AFL history to break through the 1,000-goal threshold, averaging 4.66 goals per game and kicking 10 goals or more on 16 occasions. Alongside his goalkicking accolades, the four-time All Australian valued team success even higher. He played in four premierships (1986, 1988, 1989, 1991), won two of his four Hawthorn best and fairest awards in premiership years (1988, 1989), and was a three-time placegetter in the Brownlow Medal, finishing second in 1992, equal second in 1988, and equal third in 1989. Having been inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002, Dunstall was recently elevated to Legend status in 2024, cementing his position as one of the greatest forwards in Hawthorn’s history.
Photo courtesy Newspix.
An integral member of Australian football’s “Golden Generation”, Mark Schwarzer OAM carved out one of the most decorated and enduring playing careers for more than 25 years. Schwarzer broke the record as our most capped Socceroo, and became the cool, composed goalkeeper whose shot-stopping prowess helped Australia to qualify for three World Cups, in 2006, 2010 and 2014, before retiring in the lead-up to the 2014 tournament. Hard work, dedication and a relentless quest to be the best in the English Premier League set him apart from many other keepers. His 20-year run in the UK started with Bradford City in 1996, but it was his 11-year career with Middlesbrough where he established himself as one of the game’s most consistent keepers. Middlesbrough won the League Cup final in 2004 despite his costly early mistake, before making two late saves that landed the silverware. His longevity and methodical approach to training and playing made him the first non-Briton to play more than 500 EPL games for five clubs: Bradford City, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester City. Although he had retired from international football in 2013, he forged ahead in the Premier League as a squad member of title-winning clubs Chelsea and Leicester City.
Photo courtesy Alamy.
Dr Peter Harcourt AM has established himself as one of Australia’s, and the world’s, most respected and experienced sports medicine practitioners and anti-doping experts over four decades. With a lifelong passion for sport, Dr Harcourt has worked tirelessly with numerous Australian and global sporting organisations, including the Federation of International Basketball, the International Cricket Council, Basketball Australia, National Basketball League, Victorian Institute of Sport, Commonwealth Games Federation and the AFL. His expertise in sports medicine practice, developing best-practice protocols for individuals and sporting codes and facilitating research, has made significant contributions to sports medicine in injury prevention, concussion management, and return-to-play protocols, as well as anti-doping monitoring and practices. Dr Harcourt’s distinguished service has been recognised through multiple honours: he received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000, was awarded an OAM in 2007, and was elevated to AM in 2023 for significant service to sports and exercise medicine, and anti-doping monitoring. Throughout his career, Dr Harcourt has remained firmly committed to the well-being and safety of athletes, establishing himself as a leading voice in sports medicine and anti-doping advocacy.
Photo courtesy Basketball Australia.
Laura Geitz became one of Australian netball’s greatest players and most respected leaders, achieving a decade of supremacy with the Queensland Firebirds and Australian Diamonds. Representing the Queensland Firebirds in 169 games, Geitz played a significant role as both a dominant player and inspirational captain in three championship-winning seasons: in 2011, and back-to-back successes in 2015 and 2016. However, her dominant imprint in representing Australia in 71 games was arguably her greatest impact on and off the court. Geitz’s game-changing intercepts, calmness under pressure and resolute leadership saw her excel at the elite level. She was a member of two Netball World Cup-winning teams in 2011 and 2015, the latter as the Diamonds captain in a home country triumph in Sydney. She led Australia to Commonwealth Games glory in Glasgow in 2014 and was part of silver medal-winning sides at the 2010 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Photo courtesy Alamy.
Cameron Smith’s AM NRL career was almost unparalleled in terms of laurels, leadership and longevity, establishing him as one of the game’s greatest players and an Immortal-in-waiting. Smith was the first – and so far only – player to play more than 400 National Rugby League games, representing the Melbourne Storm in 430 matches across 19 seasons from 2002-20. His presence and composure as a hooker (or dummy-half) won acclaim not only at NRL level, but also when representing his native Queensland and Australia. He played 42 State of Origin matches from 2003-17, first as an inspirational player and later as an astute captain. His international career started in 2007 and ran for a decade, spanning 56 Tests as a player and 33 as his nation’s captain, winning countless individual and team accolades. Smith’s elite left-foot kicking ability was a defining feature of his game as he became the NRL’s all-time point-scorer with 2,786 points. The three-time NRL premiership winner remained at the peak of his powers right to the end of his career, leading the Storm to the 2020 premiership and providing the perfect finale to a brilliant career.
Photo courtesy Alamy.
2025 Legends of Australian Sport
One of the most significant figures in Australian cricket history, Belinda Clark left an indelible mark on her chosen sport, primarily as a trailblazing opening batter and inspirational leader, and later as a respected administrator furthering the game from the other side of the fence.
Clark was a pioneer who helped to drive the women’s game into the mainstream, playing a pivotal role in shaping the success of Australian teams through the 1990s and 2000s.
After growing up in Newcastle with dreams of an international tennis career, Clark switched her ambitions to cricket after playing her first official match at 13 at high school.
By the age of 21, Clark had been selected in the New South Wales side, and made her One-Day International and Test debuts for Australia. She made an instant impact, scoring a century in her maiden Test – 104 runs against India – and named player of the series in a stunning start to her international cricket career.
In all, she played 15 Tests for Australia, scoring 919 runs at an average of 45.90, with a highest score of 136 in the 1998 Ashes series in England.
Clark’s ODI career was spectacular, scoring 4,844 runs at 47.49, including five centuries, with her unbeaten 229 against Denmark at the 1997 World Cup making her the first cricketer, male or female, to score a double ODI century.
Her leadership was the catalyst for a successful era for the Australian women’s team, leading her country 101 times and spearheading two World Cup triumphs (1997, 2005).
She also played in seven domestic championship triumphs, five with her home state of New South Wales and two more with Victoria.
Following her retirement in 2005 she played a huge role in the game’s direction in various administrative roles, including as an executive at Cricket Australia and as a member of the ICC’s Women’s Committee.
Clark was the first woman inducted into the Australian Cricket of Fame, the second woman admitted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, and became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2018.
Sketch Images courtesy of Brian Clinton.
Andrew Gaze literally towered over the sport as one of Australia’s greatest basketballers in a stunning career that almost seemed his destiny from a young age.
The son of legendary coach Lindsay Gaze, he played a significant role in the growth of the game in this country, with his impact almost immeasurable on and off the court. His dynamic game sense, pinpoint accuracy in nailing shots, especially from the arc, and inspirational leadership swiftly elevated him into the top echelon of the game.
Gaze helped to shape the direction of basketball in a 22-season career with Melbourne Tigers in the National Basketball League, in representing and leading Australia on the international stage, and later as an NBL coach and leading media commentator.
He played more than 600 NBL games, scored almost 19,000 points at an average of 30 points per match, and helped the Tigers to two championships (1993, 1997). Gaze won the NBL’s Most Valuable Player award a record seven times (1991-92, 1994-98), an indication of his status within the fiercely competitive domestic competition.
He was considered by many to be the greatest player in NBL history, he still holds a swag of records, and his international performances elevated his status even further.
Gaze rode the wave in the US with Seton Hall University all the way through to the NCAA Championship Game in 1989, and had two stints in the National Basketball Association, playing with the Washington Bullets and San Antonio Spurs. He was on the roster when the Spurs won the NBA title in 1998-99, and he also played professionally in Greece and Italy.
But it was the stellar performances with the Australian Boomers that defined his greatness, including five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000), 297 games in the green and gold, and eight years as his nation’s captain. Three times he took the Boomers into bronze medal playoffs, he scored the second most points in Olympic history, and one of his greatest honours came when he was named as Australia’s flagbearer at the Sydney 2000 Games, in his fifth and final Olympic competition.
Gaze was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2002, inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2013, and the FIBA Hall of Fame. He was made a legend of the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Sketch Images courtesy of Brian Clinton.
2025 SAHOF Awards
The Dawn Award Winner
Layne Beachley’s journey in and out of the surf has been an enduring source of inspiration for Australians.
As a seven-time world surfing champion, including a stunning six titles in succession, Beachley helped to transform the sport.
However it is her capacity to overcome adversity in her life – and bravely speak about it – as much as her stellar sporting career, which will forever be her legacy.
It’s why Beachley is a fitting winner of 2025’s The Dawn – an award named after Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend Dawn Fraser – which honours an individual or a team for their bravery, courage and capacity to change sport for the betterment of others.
The Don Award Winner
Oscar Piastri has always been devastatingly fast, but the rising Formula 1 superstar’s acceleration into the top echelon of world sport has been almost off the charts this year.
The fiercely driven, hugely talented Melburnian has not only inspired the nation with his on-track deeds throughout the 2025 Formula 1 championship season, he has also helped to fuel what has been a modern motor sport renaissance in Australia.
That makes him a fitting winner of The Don, an award named after Sir Donald Bradman, to honour a current Australian athlete or team who, by their achievements and example in the last 12 months, have best caught the imagination of the Australian public.