Aboriginal Cycling Hero to Headline Luminaries Awards Dinner
Mimili, SA
Indigenous health care worker, marathon runner and cycling role model, Zibeon Fielding – the 2020 SA Young Australian of the Year – will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Cycling Luminaries Awards, being held in conjunction with the 2022 Micromobility Conference & Expo.
As a health professional in his community at Mimili, in the far north-west corner of SA, Zibeon has gone to great lengths to set a positive example for his community and to bring added opportunities for its residents.
In 2016, he was chosen for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation, founded by former world marathon champion Rob de Castella. His involvement with the foundation enabled Zibeon to complete the world’s most famous 42.2km run, the New York Marathon, as a 25-year-old and he went on to look for further challenges.
In 2019, he ran a 62km ultra-marathon in the Australian outback, from Indulkana to Mimili, to raise $50,000 for remote dialysis services so residents didn’t have to move to Adelaide or Alice Springs for regular treatment.
“I do it for my people, I do it for my family, I do it for my loved ones … to be a role model in the community for them.”
He then became the first person to cycle the full 710km around his Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, this time raising $40,000 to support local kids who had applied for a grant to build a community gym.
Zibeon, who is also a film maker, says his personal endeavours and combined message of sport, health and fitness are aimed at giving people the tools and inspiration to close the indigenous health gap, especially in the APY lands.
“We don’t want to be numbers. We want to drive and look towards a brighter and healthier future for our mob,” he said.
“I do it for my people, I do it for my family, I do it for my loved ones … to be a role model in the community for them.”
Zibeon has now set his sights on completing an Ironman triathlon distance event (3.8km swim, 180km ride and 42.2km run) across APY lands.
Tickets are still available to attend the Cycling Luminaries Awards gala dinner to hear Zibeon’s story and see who wins this year’s awards.