ProvenanceThis item is part of the Amy Gillett memorabilia collection, donated to the History Trust of South Australia by Amy's parents, Mary and Denis Safe in 2020. Amy Gillett was an Australian cyclist and rower.
Amy wore this ice vest at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where she finished 5th with her team mates in the women's 8. Scientists at the AIS developed an “ice jacket” to pre-cool athletes before endurance events in the heat. The rowing team in Atlanta were one of the first sport teams to try this new cooling technique. The ice vests are made from wetsuit material and packed with ice. 'Athletes who wore the jackets at the Atlanta Olympics probably boosted their output power by 1-2 percent'. David Martin – Sports Scientist AIS.SignificanceThis object relates to Amy Gillett’s sporting career and legacy in her name.
Amy Gillett (nee Safe) was a South Australian track and road cyclist as well as a rower who represented Australia in both sports.
Amy was born on 9 January 1976 and grew up in Adelaide going to Annesley College.
Amy was a talented sportsperson and who won a scholarship to the South Australian Sport Institute. She was a world champion junior rower, winning a gold medal in the coxless pair in the Junior World Championships in 1993 and the women's single scull in 1994. Amy was a member of the Australian women’s eight crew at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. After missing out to be selected for the Sydney Olympics rowing team, Amy made the transition from rowing to cycling with rapid success.
From 2002 to 2005, Amy was a member of the Australian Institute of Sport elite cycling squad and represented Australia in the 2002 and 2003 Cycling World Cups.
Amy was killed during a cycling training session near Zeulenroda in Germany on 18 July 2005 when a car crashed into the cycling group. The Australian cycling team were preparing for the Thüringen Rundfahrt.
In honour of Amy, her parents and husband Simon Gillett established 'The Amy Gillett Foundation' in 2005 to advocate for cycling safety in Australia. Achievements of the foundations include the Amy Gillett Bikeway in the Adelaide Hills and the successful 'A meter matters' campaign that legislates car drivers in Australia to keep a minimum of one meter distance to cyclists, and 1.5 metres in speed zones over 60km.DescriptionThis is a ice vest made by Adidas in yellow and green colours with a zipper on the front. It has the Australian crest with the Olympic rings and Atlanta 1996 written underneath on the left hand side. It has slots on front to fill with ice packs.Creator (person)Creator (organisation)AcknowledgementDate of Creation1996Date of Usage1996Materialpolyester
|neoprene DimensionType: Dimensions
Height: 450
Width: 380
Depth: 40 Accession NumberHT 2021.1137
