Pickleball Gold for Pat and Dion at Australian Championships

Para-athlete Dion Rewiti and Ullrich Aluminium Manager Pat Pannunzio teamed up to win a gold medal at the recent Australian Pickleball Championships at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane.

Dion and Pat were playing for the first time and were in the Open CoEd Hybrid category. The CoEd Hybrid category allows para-athletes to team up with able athletes.

The category attracted best competitors from around Australia with Gold Coasters Pat and Dion facing off in a gold medal match with accomplished pickleballer Shayne Nijssen-Smith from Hardy’s Bay in NSW and para-athlete Peter Hill from Robina.

The match was tight with massive momentum swings with Pat and Dion winning in three games 11-5, 9-11, 11-5.

Pat Panunnzio said, “It was such an honour to play with Dion, he is an outstanding para-athlete and we have been training hard for this event at our local pickleball courts in Currumbin. It is nice to bring home the gold with Dion, he is an absolute legend on and off the court!”

The Australian Pickleball Championships were the largest ever pickleball event to be hosted in the southern hemisphere with over 430 competitors from around Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in Australia and the United States. If you would like to learn how to play pickleball contact your local state pickleball association or get in touch with East Coast Pickleball.