Mooroobool girl wins three gold medals at state junior cycling road champs Pedalling towards Olympics

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Cycling

| Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

HIGH-ACHIEVING cyclist Siena

Goulding, 12, is setting her aspirations for the 2032 Olympics after a highly successful year, bringing home three golds from the AusCycling Queensland Junior State Road Championships on July 2, the highest achievement in her age category.

The 12-year-old from Mooroobool, who is no stranger to winning, is reaching new heights in the sport, currently holding the state record for individual pursuit in the under-13 category and achieving gold in every class at the State Road Championships. She has now set her focus on the Brisbane Olympics.

“What I love about cycling is that I get to travel, meet new people and push myself to my absolute limits,” she said.

“The Junior State Road Championships werer held in Ipswich. The first day was the criterium and the second day, we had the time trial and 20km road race, and I was excited but nervous at the same time.

“I feel really proud of this achievement because I’ve been training hard for this race, and it’s the absolute top for my age.

“Next year, when I go into the under-15 age category, I will be able to be selected for the Queensland team, so I’m excited about that.”

Miss Goulding said all the competitions and championships were the training toward her ultimate goal – Brisbane 2032.

“In the future, I want to go to the 2032 Olympics. That’s what I’m looking forward to,” she said.

“I also want to become world champion in either track cycling or road cycling, and I also want to go to the Tour de France because it just opened up for female athletes, so it would be really cool if I were the first Australian girl to win the Tour.”

For the second half of 2023, Miss Goulding wants to focus on getting as many state titles as possible.

“In a month, I’ll be in Victoria for the state titles, I wouldn’t usually be doing Victoria, but since next year I’ll be in the under-15 category, I will be able to be selected for the Queensland team, and if I get selected, I’ll be able to go to nationals,” she said.

“My goal for the rest of the year is to go to as many state titles as possible to see where I place and be ready for next year.”

Miss Goulding’s coach and father, Clinton Goulding, said with little over eight years to Olympics, “every opportunity to race is really important to ensure she’s the best version of herself”.