Sydney University Athletics Club member Lachlan Renshaw is in line for two Australian University Sport honours when the awards are announced on May 18.
The Sydney University Elite Athlete Program scholarship holder and Athletics Blue is in contention for the AUS Male Athlete of the Year award for 2011, along with Callum Watson (UNSW), Michael Snart (Edith Cowan University) and Eric Sheppard (University of Melbourne).
The award acknowledges the achievement of the best Australian university male athlete, assessed on university sport performances as well as contributions to university sport during the year.
Renshaw recorded one of the biggest wins of his career when he won the 800m gold medal at the 2011 World University Summer Games in Shenzhen, China.
The 24-year-old breasted the tape in 1:46.36 to edge out China’s Haining Teng (1:46.62) and Kenya’s Fred Samoei (1:46.72).
Renshaw, who was the Australian men’s team captain at the Games, won the Australian 800m championship in 2008 and 2010 and was runner-up in 2009 and 2011.
He holds the Australian 600m record of 1:15.14, set in 2010 and the NSW Under 20 men’s 800m record of 1:47.00, set 2006.
Renshaw is studying a Bachelor of Commerce. He progressed to the final round of the 800m at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, but injury forced him to withdraw from the final. He competed at the 2007 World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand, and the 2009 Games at Belgrade, Serbia, where he finished fifth.
Renshaw and fellow Sydney University athlete Prasanth Sellathurai will also be inducted to the AUS Honour Roll at the May 18 awards luncheon.
Sellathurai, who is a Sydney University Elite Athlete Program scholarship holder, also won gold at the 2011 World University Summer Games when he topped the men’s pommel horse final with a score of 15.700, defeating gymnasts from Belarus, Romania, Slovakia, Korea, Japan and Hungary.
