Layla Sharp 3rd from right.  Photos supplied by Commonwealth Games Australia.

LAYLA Sharp (Cranebrook) is currently the World Number One ranked female athlete in the T38 800m. Layla is a ‘driven young sprinter’ now shifting her focus to 200m and 400m events as she chases global competition dreams.

Layla has been named as one of seven Para athletes to receive a scholarship in this year’s Kurt Fearnley Scholarship (KFS) program, which is named in recognition of one of Australia’s most accomplished Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes.

Kurt Fearnley was the first ever para-athlete to serve as flag bearer at the Commonwealth Games. With a career spanning three Commonwealth Games and five Paralympic Games, earning numerous medals, Fearnley will mentor this year’s cohort of KFS recipients.

Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA), the Carbine Club of NSW (CCNSW) and the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) have again offered these individual scholarships for NSW para-sport athletes who exhibit potential for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Recipients will each receive $5000, supporting them to gain membership of a sport’s high performance program post scholarship, ultimately ‘fast tracking’ their development to achieve success at Glasgow 2026, or subsequent Commonwealth Games.

Since the program’s inception in 2019, 15 scholarships have been awarded, with seven emerging athletes recognised as worthy recipients for the Glasgow 2026 cycle. As the Commonwealth Games incorporates a fully integrated program for able-bodied and para-athletes, this year’s cohort of athletes will have the opportunity to qualify for the Australian team in swimming and athletics.

To mark the start of their journey as KFS recipients, this year’s cohort were formally recognised at the CCNSW Champion’s Lunch and inducted into the program at a session facilitated by CGA.