Kyle Willis is a Para cyclist who was awarded a Tier 2 Scholarship within the 2022 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Kyle was born in Sydney in 2001 via emergency caesarean due to a low fetal heart rate. His speech was developmentally delayed due to the brain damage suffered at birth, and he now competes in the C3 classification on the road and the track.
Kyle pursued football and athletics in Brisbane until he saw the Grand Tours on TV and decided to commit to cycling. After many crashes, his parents took him along to Moreton Bay Cycling Club to improve his bike handling skills, and he soon began to collect medals.
In 2020, he won silver at the National Road Championships in the Road Race and the Individual Time Trial. In the same year, he won silver at the UCI Para-Track GP in the 1km and 3km ITT, and won the flying 200m at the National Para-Cycling event, as well as breaking the national record in ITT.
The following year, he won the ITT on the road at the UCI Lakeside competition, and was first in both round two and round three in the Queensland time trail championships. He was subsequently ranked no. 1 junior and no. 2 in the seniors for C3 on the road and the track, and joined the Queensland Academy of Sport.
As well as cycling success, Kyle won two championships with his junior football team, won his high school cross country championships and placed at the national athletics championships. He also speaks fluent Japanese and is motivated to coach Para athletics and cycling, as well as encouraging young people with disabilities to enjoy the benefits of sport.
“Turn up, warm up and go for it 😊 “
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program. As well as teaching valuable training and competition techniques, this program also provides a unique opportunity to obtain advice and knowledge for aspiring athletes. I believe that I would find this to be immensely helpful to prepare me for my future career challenges as well as to develop a better personal perspective on my sport. I am quite excited at the prospect of being able to talk directly with current and ex-athletes who have had successful careers at the highest levels.” – Kyle Willis on being selected as a 2022 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder.
Awards, Honours & Achievements
- 2020: National Road Championships – 2nd
- 2020: National Championships – 2nd, Individual Time Trial
- 2020: UCI Para-Track GP 1km ITT, Brisbane – 2nd
- 2020: UCI Para-Track GP 3km ITT, Brisbane – 2nd
- 2021: UCI Lakeside – 1st, Time Trial (Road)
- 2021: Queensland Individual Time Trial – 1st, Round 3
- 2021: Queensland Individual Time Trial – 1st, Round 2
- 24 of January 2020 National Para-Cycling C3 Track Flying 200m – 1st and Broke Australian Record, Time Trial
- 2022: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder – Tier 2
