Latest news with #Shirvo
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Shirvo's $10k promise steals the show at Big Freeze 11
Channel 7 superstar and former sprinter Matt Shirvington has pledged to keep his Thor costume on for his flight home after braving the elements at the annual Big Freeze ahead of the King's Birthday blockbuster between Collingwood and Melbourne at the MCG. Now in its 11th year, another 10 identities from the sporting world took the icy plunge as AFL icon and Australian of the Year Neale Daniher, the driving force behind the initiative, watched on. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Shirvo takes the icy plunge. The theme this year was iconic Australians and while some of the sliders could have gone as themselves, they each went all out. Shirvo went down as Thor, played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, and promised to stay in character for his return flight to Sydney later on Monday. 'You're getting on a plane in a moment. I had someone say if you stay in the Thor uniform and do not have a shower, they will donate $10,000,' commentator Hamish McLachlan said to Shirvo. He only took a moment to contemplate the dare before agreeing. 'If they let me through security, 10 grand to the cause ... Neale, hopefully we will make it happen, hey?' Shirvo said. Olympic legend Ariarne Titmus went down as Olivia Newton-John's Sandra Dee from Grease, while netball superstar Lez Ellis paid tribute to Magda Szubanski's iconic Sharon character from Kath and Kim. There was also The Joker, Barbie, and even a double Max Gawn. The Big Freeze continues to raise money for FightMND. Check out all other sliders below and head here to donate. The Olympic legend dressed up as Sandra Dee, the iconic character from Grease played by Australian actress Olivia Newton-John. She had chills, and they were multiplying when she emerged from the icy pool. 'It's actually quite refreshing,' she said. 'I truly believe if everyone had a little bit ofNeale's motivation and positivity, the world would be a better place.' Ariarne Titmus went down as Olivia Newton-John's Sandra Dee. Credit: Channel 7 The Tour de France champion and four-time Olympian donned a skull cap and fake beard for his perfect 'shrunken' Max Gawn impersonation. The real Gawn took time out of his pre-match preparation to speak to Evans after the slide. 'I think his worst day on the bike is way better than my best day on the footy field,' Gawn said with a laugh. I'm seeing double. Two Max Gawns. Credit: Channel 7 The Collingwood champion nailed his impersonation of The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. Daicos lived up to his billing as a master entertainer on the field with a couple of special moves. 'No one would be blaming (Daniher) for sitting at home and sitting there in comfort. I mean, he's working for others. How can you say 'no', took me a split nanosecond,' Daicos said. Daicos nailed his impersonation of The Joker. Credit: Getty The former rugby league player turned actor went down as AC/DC rocker Angus Young. Complete with a guitar, Nable said he was inspired by his daughter to dress up as the iconic guitarist. Nable's brother Adam died from MND just over a year ago. He fought back tears when paying tribute to the cause. 'You know, what I see with Neale Daniher, his fight, he's truly inspiring. A lot of you here wouldn't know what it's like with his family and how hard it is, but he is a truly great Australian and a man of great inspiration. I am so proud and privileged to be here,' he said. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. The netball superstar nailed her impression of Barbie, played by Aussie superstar Margot Robbie. 'A lot colder than I thought,' she said. 'It is an absolute honour. This is such a special day. It is Neale's day. For him to come in there and share with all of us how important this is, it's an absolute honour. Just great to be part of this awesome group.' Watson goes down as Barbie. Credit: Getty Images The Channel 7 star and former sprinter went down as Thor, played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. Shirvo promised to stay in his uniform on his flight back to Sydney to raise more money for the cause. 'You're getting on a plane in a moment. I had someone say if you stay in the Thor uniform and do not have a shower, they will donate $10,000,' Hamish McLachlan said to Shirvo. 'If they let me through security, 10 grand to the cause, Neale, hopefully we will make it happen, hey?' Shirvo responded. Shirvo loved the cameras. Credit: Getty If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. The captain of the all-conquering Australian cricket team paid tribute to Magda Szubanski's iconic Sharon character from Kath and Kim. She joked that she had a 'snog' with Shane Warne out the back before taking the slide. 'Really special afternoon. We may have had a snog out the back. Very special to be here, be a part of it, to be Sharon, even better,' she said. Healy nailed her Sharon get up. Credit: Getty The Melbourne great went down as Indigenous AFL legend Michael Long. He had a puffer jacket on just like Long does for the Long Walk. But the jacket appeared to weigh him down slightly in the pool. 'It actually nearly drowned me just then,' he said. 'Where's Danners? 13 years, never got an ice bath till now. Love you. Massive part of my life. Gave a young man a dream and very fortunate enough to call you family.' Davey takes the plunge. Credit: Getty Images The Supercars icon looked the part in his leather jacket as Mad Max, played by Aussie actor Mel Gibson. The driver completed a little backflip when he entered the water. 'There's no doubt he and the family are doing a fantastic job. Proud to be here, proud to support it and represent Supercars and I think it doesn't matter where you are, what demographic, you sometimes go through it,' he said. Lowndes went down as Mad Max. Credit: Getty Images The Australian cricket great went down as former teammate Shane Warne. 'I was lucky enough to play a lot of my career with my late mate. Miss him, but love what he did for this country in sport,' he said. 'Brought slow bowling back into Test match cricket which people love. People here at this ground, right around the world, loved him. As I said to Tim, great to be here to support him and probably more importantly on a day like today, support FightMND and Neale Daniher, also a great Australian.' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
7NEWS
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Matt Shirvington's $10k promise steals the show at Neale Daniher's Big Freeze 11
Channel 7 superstar and former sprinter Matt Shirvington has pledged to keep his Thor costume on after braving the elements at the annual Big Freeze ahead of the King's Birthday blockbuster between Collingwood and Melbourne at the MCG. Now in its 11th year, another 10 identities from the sporting world took the icy plunge as AFL icon and Australian of the Year Neale Daniher, the driving force behind the initiative, watched on. The theme this year was iconic Australians and while some of the sliders could have gone as themselves, they each went all out. Shirvo went down as Thor, played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, and promised to stay in character for his return flight to Sydney. 'You're getting on a plane in a moment. I had someone say if you stay in the Thor uniform and do not have a shower, they will donate $10,000,' commentator Hamish McLachlan said to Shirvo. He only took a moment to contemplate the dare before agreeing. 'If they let me through security, 10 grand to the cause, Neale, hopefully we will make it happen, hey?' Shirvo said. Olympic legend Ariarne Titmus went down as Olivia Newton-John's Sandra Dee from Grease, while netball superstar Lez Ellis paid tribute to Magda Szubanski's iconic Sharon character from Kath and Kim. There was also The Joker, Barbie, and even a double Max Gawn. The Big Freeze continues to raise money for FightMND. Check out all other sliders below and head here to donate. Ariarne Titmus The Olympic legend dressed up as Sandra Dee, the iconic character from Grease played by Australian actress Olivia Newton-John. She had chills, and they were multiplying when she emerged from the icy pool. 'It's actually quite refreshing,' she said. 'I truly believe if everyone had a little bit ofNeale's motivation and positivity, the world would be a better place.' Cadel Evans The Tour de France champion and four-time Olympian donned a skull cap and fake beard for his perfect 'shrunken' Max Gawn impersonation. The real Gawn took time out of his pre-match preparation to speak to Evans after the slide. 'I think his worst day on the bike is way better than my best day on the footy field,' Gawn said with a laugh. Peter Daicos The Collingwood champion nailed his impersonation of The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. Daicos lived up to his billing as a master entertainer on the field with a couple of special moves. 'No one would be blaming (Daniher) for sitting at home and sitting there in comfort. I mean, he's working for others. How can you say 'no', took me a split nanosecond,' Daicos said. Matt Nable The former rugby league player turned actor went down as AC/DC rocker Angus Young. Complete with a guitar, Nable said he was inspired by his daughter to dress up as the iconic guitarist. Nable's brother Adam died from MND just over a year ago. He fought back tears when paying tribute to the cause. 'You know, what I see with Neale Daniher, his fight, he's truly inspiring. A lot of you here wouldn't know what it's like with his family and how hard it is, but he is a truly great Australian and a man of great inspiration. I am so proud and privileged to be here,' he said. Liz Watson The netball superstar nailed her impression of Barbie, played by Aussie superstar Margot Robbie. 'A lot colder than I thought,' she said. 'It is an absolute honour. This is such a special day. It is Neale's day. For him to come in there and share with all of us how important this is, it's an absolute honour. Just great to be part of this awesome group.' Matt Shirvington The Channel 7 star and former sprinter went down as Thor, played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. Shirvo promised to stay in his uniform on his flight back to Sydney to raise more money for the cause. 'You're getting on a plane in a moment. I had someone say if you stay in the Thor uniform and do not have a shower, they will donate $10,000,' Hamish McLachlan said to Shirvo. 'If they let me through security, 10 grand to the cause, Neale, hopefully we will make it happen, hey?' Shirvo responded. Alyssa Healy The captain of the all-conquering Australian cricket team paid tribute to Magda Szubanski's iconic Sharon character from Kath and Kim. She joked that she had a 'snog' with Shane Warne out the back before taking the slide. 'Really special afternoon. We may have had a snog out the back. Very special to be here, be a part of it, to be Sharon, even better,' she said. Aaron Davey The Melbourne great went down as Indigenous AFL legend Michael Long. He had a puffer jacket on just like Long does for the Long Walk. But the jacket appeared to weigh him down slightly in the pool. 'It actually nearly drowned me just then,' he said. 'Where's Danners? 13 years, never got an ice bath till now. Love you. Massive part of my life. Gave a young man a dream and very fortunate enough to call you family.' Craig Lowndes The Supercars icon looked the part in his leather jacket as Mad Max, played by Aussie actor Mel Gibson. The driver completed a little backflip when he entered the water. 'There's no doubt he and the family are doing a fantastic job. Proud to be here, proud to support it and represent Supercars and I think it doesn't matter where you are, what demographic, you sometimes go through it,' he said. Mark Taylor The Australian cricket great went down as former teammate Shane Warne. 'I was lucky enough to play a lot of my career with my late mate. Miss him, but love what he did for this country in sport,' he said. 'Brought slow bowling back into Test match cricket which people love. People here at this ground, right around the world, loved him. As I said to Tim, great to be here to support him and probably more importantly on a day like today, support FightMND and Neale Daniher, also a great Australian.'
7NEWS
23-04-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Australian gold medallist Alexa Leary challenges Matt Shirvington and Mark Beretta to 100m swimming race
Fresh off a new world record in the pool, Australian swimming superstar Alexa Leary has served up a challenge for a two-on-one race against Sunrise's Matt Shirvington and Mark Beretta. Leary won the 100m freestyle multi-class national title on Tuesday night hours after a 59.22-second heat swim that broke the historic mark she set to win gold at the Paris Paralympics last year. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Shirvo challenged to 100m race against world-record holder. As it turns out the 23-year-old never expected to get close to her previous best in Brisbane this week. 'It was crazy,' Russell told Sunrise on Thursday. 'That morning, she rang us and said 'look, mum and dad, don't come to the heat. I'm feeling sick. I've got a stomach ache'. 'So we didn't go. Next thing all our phones are beep, beep, beep. She didn't know that she had won it. It's crazy, crazy.' Leary was in shock when told of her record on the pool deck. Russell said the reasons why she was so surprised went far beyond her illness on the day. 'She had a really hard week the week before with her traumatic brain injury,' he said. 'It's really tough on her. She has bad days and good days. It was a real lift for her too. It was great.' Leary fell off her bike in a near-fatal accident in 2021, leaving her with brain damage and several long-term injuries. More than once, doctors informed her parents they should prepare to say goodbye to their daughter. Searching for answers and hope, Leary's parents turned to a clairvoyant who predicted that the swimmer would rise to become a Paralympic gold medallist. She has achieved that and more, with the 2026 Commonwealth Games now on the horizon. But life remains 'hard', according to mum Belinda, who at the same time is seriously impressed with her daughter's progress. 'It's not easy for Alexa on a normal day. If you know much about traumatic brain injuries, you never know what you're going to get each day,' Belinda said. 'Emotions run high and low and she's all over the place, really, at times. But she's improving daily. 'We see massive improvements in her. Even the way she conducts herself in public, the way that she speaks, her behaviour's getting better. 'It's not easy by all means for Lex. It's a really tough journey, but being in the pool has really enhanced everything for her and she's just a little superstar.' Leary was a keen athlete before her accident and now wants to come full circle with an old friend. 'Berretts goes back a long way with Alexa. He actually gave her a medal when she won the Noosa open swim 10 years ago,' Russell said. 'He's been in her life for a long time. So I reckon that Shirvo and Berretts take on Alexa for the 100. Shirvo does 50, Beretts does 50. 'She'll give them a 20-second start. Now I reckon that's a deal.' Shirvo replied: 'Are we talking freestyle?' Russell said: 'You're up for a challenge, you're up for it? You can do whatever you like. Dog paddle, doesn't matter.' Shirvo responded: 'Don't make it butterfly or I'm absolutely stuffed. It may end up looking dog paddle at the end.' 'See you in the pool, can't get out of it now,' Shirvo said as the interview wrapped up. Russell replied: 'Start training!' Just when the race could fit into Leary's busy schedule is unclear. 'She's got the trials coming up, then she's got Singapore — the world titles, and then Glasgow (Commonwealth Games) next year,' Russell said. 'Very exciting for her. It gives her something to aim for and something to get out of bed for.' Belinda added: 'It gives her a purpose, it's great.' 'She loves the training because she's such hyper-active person, she needs it,' mum said. 'She trains nine times a week. She's in the gym. Never, ever, ever not wants to go to training. It's just something that's in her, she's very driven. Wants to achieve.'
