The TIS Champions Club was established in 2006 to recognise our athletes who have made a significant contribution to the development of elite sport in Tasmania through their performances and interaction with various levels of the sporting and general community.
The two athletes inducted in 2023 certainly fit the bill, at our TIS Annual Breakfast we welcomed champion rower Georgia Nesbitt and international cycling star Richie Porte into the Champions Club.
Georgia Nesbitt
Georgia hails from the Huon Rowing Club and made her start in rowing during her early years of university where she was studying law.
Georgia represented Australia on 10 occasions between 2013 and 2022 and was a seven-time national champion. Debuting in 2013 in the U23 Lightweight Double Scull at the World Rowing Championships in Linz, Georgia finished in fifth place. Twelve months later in Varese, Georgia returned to the World Championships in the U23 Lightweight Double Scull to come away with a bronze medal. In 2015, Georgia made the A Final of the Single Scull at the World Championships.
In 2016, Georgia relocated to Penrith to join the Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre. Georgia was named in the Lightweight Women’s Quad for World Rowing Cups II and III. She went on to win gold at World Rowing Cup III and then silver at the 2017 World Rowing Championships. In 2018, Georgia was selected to compete in the Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Sculls at World Cups II and III.
In 2019, Georgia attempted, alongside Sarah Pound, to qualify the Lightweight Women’s Double Scull for the Tokyo Olympic Games, initially at the 2019 World Rowing Championships and subsequently at the 2021 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, narrowly missing a spot.
In 2022, Georgia raced at World Rowing Cup II in Poznan, Poland and won a silver medal before her final international event, representing Australia in the Women’s Single Scull at the 2022 World Championships held in Račice, Czech Republic.
Since retirement Georgia has commenced working as a solicitor and joined the Rowing Tasmania Board in 2023.
Richie Porte
Growing up in Launceston, Richie Porte excelled as a triathlete before switching his attention to cycling at the age of 21. Richie would go on to sign his first professional contract with Team Saxo-Bank in 2010.
In his first Grand Tour start in the 2010 Giro d’Italia, Richie won the Best Young Rider accolade and was seventh in the overall classification. Incredibly he led the general classification from stages 11-13, experiencing 3 days in the prestigious “Maglia Rosa”.
In 2012, Richie signed with Team Sky and in the same year assisted Sir Bradley Wiggins in his victory at the Tour de France. But it was in 2013 that Richie really announced himself. His season highlight came when he was given the opportunity to lead the team at Paris-Nice stage race. He delivered in fine style winning the prestigious 8-day event. He followed this up with two more second place finishes at the Tour of Basque and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
A scintillating start to 2015 saw Richie claim the National Time Trial and runner-up at the Tour Down Under. His fine form continued with victories at Paris-Nice and Giro del Trentino before assisting Chris Froome in his second Tour de France victory.
2016 saw Richie cross to BMC Racing and he had an immediate impact with runner-up at the Tour Down Under. A podium finish in Paris-Nice and back-to-back fourth place finishes at Tour of Catalunya and Dauphine had him primed for a big Tour de France. Unfortunately, a puncture on Stage 2 and a crash with a motor cycle derailed his tour, however Richie still fought back to finish 5th overall. Later that year Richie would represent Australia at the Rio Olympic Games and was in a threatening position in the road race before a crash ended his campaign.
Fast forward to 2020 and undoubtedly the highlight of Richie’s time at Trek-Sagefredo came at the Tour de France where in a remarkable display of endurance, he became only the second Australian ever to stand on the podium in Paris.
Retiring in 2022, Richie has since returned to his hometown of Launceston with his wife Gemma, son Luca and daughter Eloise.