Sport
12 December, 2025
Our top 25 sporting moments of 2025: 20-16
Wimmera Mallee News continues its countdown of the top sporting moments of 2025, revealing spots 20-16 on its top 25 list.
The Wimmera and Mallee regions enjoyed a year of exceptional sporting success in 2025, with athletes shining on local, national, and international stages.
Wimmera Mallee News' lead sportswriters - MACKENZIE BOOK, ZOEY ANDREWS and BEN FRASER - compiled an exhaustive list of the year's biggest sporting moments.
They voted individually to determine their top 25, tallied the votes, and a definitive Top 25 list was born.
Following numbers 25 to 21 on December 9, in this edition we unveil spots 20 to 16.
Who misses out? Which event will claim the coveted number one spot?
20: Remi Bailey, Edward Jones compete at National Gymnastics Championships, Bailey comes home with two bronze medals
After performing well at state trial meets and winning multiple medals at the Gymnastics Victoria senior championships, Remi Bailey and Edward Jones were selected for the Victorian team to compete at the Australian Gymnastics Championships in July.
Held in Brisbane, the Natimuk and District gymnasts performed well on the national stage, with Bailey winning a bronze in the vault and in the team competition.
Bailey spoke with Wimmera Mallee News about the experience at nationals.
“Nationals was definitely a great experience, nothing like I've ever done before,” Bailey said.
“I’ve been to many, many competitions, but just another level up there, really.
“I was grateful I got selected into the team and got to represent Victoria.
“Coming away with a couple of medals was just a bonus.
“Outside of the actual gymnastics, just getting to know everyone on the state team and from other states, it was definitely a great experience.”
Bailey said he hopes to compete at nationals again in 2026.
“Next year, the goal is just to get back to nationals and compete there again,” Bailey said.
“Hopefully, one day, I will get to compete for Australia, but all I can do is just keep working on my skills and improving myself.”
Bailey’s achievements saw him named as one of the finalists for the 2025 Wimmera Sports Star of the Year.
19: Georgia Foster wins 200m gold, 4x100m relay gold at Australian Little Athletics Championships.
After winning gold in both the 100m and the 200m at the Victorian Little Athletics State Championships, Foster was selected into the Victorian team for the 2025 Australian Little Athletics Championships.
Taking place in Adelaide during April, the young Horsham sprinter won gold in the 200m and the 4x100m relay, and also claimed a silver medal in the Swedish relay and bronze in the 100m.
Foster’s Horsham Little Athletics teammate Jett Hill also took home a silver medal in the medley relay and bronze in the 4x100m relay.
For her feats, Foster was named as a finalist for the 2025 Wimmera Sports Star of the Year.
18: Linda Meech earns fifth Neville Wilson Medal as Country Racing Victoria’s Jockey of the Year
After an outstanding 2024-2025 season, Linda Meech won the Neville Wilson Medal, awarded to Country Racing Victoria’s Jockey of the Year.
Across the season, Meech raced 90 winners from 492 starts, including four Country Cup wins.
Having previously won in 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2019, the 2025 crown was Meech’s fifth Neville Wilson Medal, with this year’s award being the first time ever a mum has won the award.
Meech's accolades continued in late 2025, with 33 wins this season, including riding Rich Champagne to victory at the Murtoa Cup in October.
17: Dimboola prevail in double overtime, defeating Stawell in the football elimination final
In one of the Wimmera Football Netball League games of the year, Dimboola and Stawell finished regular time of their seniors football elimination final at 87-87 to force a rare overtime.
Dimboola then led through most of overtime before competition-leading goal kicker Paul Summers kicked an after-the-siren goal to equal the scores at 100-100 at the end of overtime.
Dimboola would go on to defeat Stawell 114-100 in double overtime in what will be remembered as a WFNL finals game for the ages.
16: Noradjuha Quantong ends Harrow Balmoral's 42-game winning streak
Rare is it to go through a season undefeated, but even more so to carry that over multiple seasons as Harrow Balmoral’s senior football team did in 2023, 2024 and into the 2025 season.
With injuries impacting the Southern Roos early in the 2025 Horsham District Football Netball League season, the reigning premiers managed to win multiple tight encounters before meeting the in-form Noradjuha Quantong in round eight.
Harrow Balmoral started well, but Noradjuha Quantong, led by seven goals from Judah Hobbs, proved too good as they won 87-52, ending a historic winning streak.
