Kieran Pender

6 days ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Kieran Pender

Transparency and integrity are ideals imbued with symbolism, but they have very real practical meaning in our democracy. Transparency means Australians know what governments do in our name – this is the primary way we can properly hold elected officials to account, through informed choices at the ballot box and direct advocacy between elections. Integrity means decisions that are made put people first – instead of being driven by self-interest, corporate greed or improper influence.

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Kieran Pender

Every morning of competition at the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, the longest running surfing event in the world, begins with AC/DC. Hells Bells by the iconic Australian rockers booms through speakers around the contest site on the Victorian surf coast. The bell tolls slowly, before the guitar riff gradually builds – an overlay of drums lifts the tempo until finally, a full third of the way into the song, Brian Johnson’s booming vocals begin.

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Kieran Pender

The combined population of Allora, Queensland and Ramona, Oklahoma is less than two thousand people. But what these small towns lack in size they more than make up for in discus pedigree. On Sunday, Allora’s favourite son Matthew Denny set what would have been a new discus world record with a monster throw in Ramona, only for Lithuanian rival Mykolas Alekna to twice extend the record in the same meet.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kieran Pender

Sierra Kerr’s qualification for the Challenger series, the second-tier of international surfing and pathway to the World Surf League, has been long foretold. Kerr, who recently turned 18, was a child surf prodigy; it was just a matter of time before the Australian – a former junior world champion – started climbing the competitive ladder. Less foreseen was what happened late last month, when the final qualifying event wrapped up and the 2025 Challenger series field was announced.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kieran Pender

Five years ago, Kai Sakakibara’s life nearly came to an end doing what he loved – bike racing. At a BMX world cup event in Bathurst, the Olympic hopeful was heading downhill into a turn when his front wheel seemed to buckle. The momentum saw Sakakibara slam headfirst into the dirt, causing carnage as a rider behind him tried to avoid the inevitable collision. In a split second, Sakakibara suffered a devastating brain injury. It was unclear whether Sakakibara, who was 23 at the time, would survive.