To his surprise, Olympic gold medallist Faith Leech hopped in the lift along with two other young boys.

After Leech walked out of the lift, Ashman turned to the two young lads and asked if they knew who Leech was, but they had no idea.

And from that day on Ashman was determined to highlight the district's great sporting champions.

Since its inception in 1993 a total of 44 sportsmen and women have been inducted into the Sports Star Hall of Fame.

Bendigo Sports Star committee members Morrie Hesse and John Forbes couldn't be prouder of all 44 athletes that have been inducted.

However, out of the inductees Forbes and Hesse have selected their top 10 based on achievements at Olympic, Commonwealth and Empire Games, world championships, Australian titles, state level titles and local achievements.

When it comes to lawn bowls in Bendigo, the name Don Sherman is front and centre. His natural ability and competitive instincts saw him represent Australia at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane where he secured the first ever gold medal for bowls in the men's fours.

His long list of achievements also include representing both Victoria and Australia several times throughout his career.

But above all he loved to share his passion for bowls with others at his beloved South Bendigo Bowls Club where he was made a life member, acted as the greens director for 28 years, president in 1966 and 1985, club coach and a raft of other positions.

The lightning hands of boxer Des Duguid saw the hall of fame inductee win bronze at the 1954 Empire Games in Vancouver in addition to reaching the quarter-finals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Not only a star on the international stage, Duguid's career also included dual runner-up finishes at the Australian titles, seven Victorian championship wins and seven Bendigo championship victories.

Duguid had plenty of tough bouts in the ring throughout his career, but one of his biggest challenges came as a 12-year-old after he was admitted to hospital with polio and meningitis. It left Duguid with a withered arm and made it difficult to walk. But that didn't stop him, he took up cycling as means of therapy and won several amateur road and track races around Bendigo.

Burns was considered as one of the leading Australian track cyclists during the late 1980s and into the 90s. One of his career highlights includes a gold medal in the 50km points score race at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.

Burns thrived under the pressure of big races and put himself to the test against the world's best at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games where he finished fourth in the points score.

Fitzgerald's specialty was sprint, time trial and team pursuit cycling events. Highlights of Fitzgerald's career include a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games and a fifth place in the same event at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

His career as a cyclist kicked into gear in 1969 when he joined the Bendigo Cycling Club, three years before his first state title in 1972, which he went on to win a further seven times a as junior.

Throughout his years on the track he broke several national records, but his career came to an end in 1983 after he sustained life-threatening injuries in a crash which took two years to recover. However, that didn't stop his love for cycling, he then channelled his passion for the sport by training and coaching up-and-coming cyclists.

Known as Bendigo's leading yachtsman, Greg Goodall has competed across the world. In 1983 Goodall was acknowledged by the state's peak sailing body for his finesse and skill in the catamaran class with the Victorian Yachtsman of the Year award.

Goodall's list of achievements on the water is extensive and include several accomplishments on both the national and international level.

Alongside his brother Allan in 1986 the pair started an Olympic Games campaign in the Tornado catamaran class and went on to win the state championship and finished fourth in the Seoul (Olympics) selection trials in 1988. The pair had another crack at the Olympic trials in 1992, but narrowly missed out.

In addition to competing, Goodall served on the committee of the Bendigo Yacht Club where he helped coach and assisted with junior development.

While growing up Grenfell played many sports such as tennis, football and karate. But it was at the age of 27 that he was introduced to full-bore rifle shooting and found his true niche as a sportsman.

In 1994 Grenfell travelled to Canada for the Victoria Commonwealth Games where he shot against the world's best, securing a gold medal in the process. He was also among the Australian squad at the 2010 Delhi Games.

Grenfell's record on the range includes 10 Queen's Prize victories also excelling at the Australian Cup countless times in addition to star performances at national and world titles.

When it comes to swimming in Bendigo, the name Faith Leech just about says it all.

Leech's biggest achievement came at the 1956 Olympic Games, when as a teenager she secured a bronze medal in the Ladies 100m Freestyle. The star swimmer then teamed up with Dawn Fraser, Sandra Morgan and Lorraine Crapp in the Ladies 4x 100m Freestyle relay.

The foursome excelled to a decisive win in world record time to secure gold, which was a first for Bendigo and Victoria.

But even before her Olympic accomplishments Leech had made a name for herself at regional, state and national levels where she won several championships and set multiple records.

The Bamawm-native first picked up a netball as a 7-year-old, the start of a long career on the court at club, national and international level.

McMahon has Commonwealth Games gold medals to her name which include 1998 in Kuala Lumpur and 2002 in Manchester, in addition to silver at Melbourne (2006) and Delhi (2010).

McMahon's elite ability was showcased as both a goal attack and goal shooter, positions where she displayed speed, elusiveness and fast reflexes.

The Strathfieldsaye-born sailor spent endless hours on the water which has seen him secure countless gold medals at world championships across multiple classes, in addition to a career-high silver at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Ashby also excelled at world championships and skippered the Emirates Team New Zealand crew in the 2017 America's Cup where they defeated Oracle Team USA 7-1.

Throughout Ashby's career he has shown his expertise in four different yacht classes: Tornado, Catamaran, Hobie Tiger and Taipan.

Kristi Harrower has been described as one of Australia's greatest basketballers and during her career has been to four Olympic Games and multiple world championships.

The point-guard was integral to Australia's gold medal-winning achievement at the 2006 World Championships in Brazil.

Harrower's ability on the court was also highlighted with her career Olympic medal-haul: Sydney 2000 (silver), Athens 2004 (silver), Beijing 2008 (silver) and London 2012 (bronze).

Her elite skill was also showcased in the WNBA where she played for the Phoenix Mercury, Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks.

Harrower also shined representing her home city of Bendigo with both the Lady Braves in the SEABL and with the Spirit in the WNBL where she helped the team secure back-to-back titles in 2013-2014.

Among the inductees is track and field athlete Jack Davey who competed at the 1950 Empire Games in Auckland where he finished fourth in the six-mile race.

Boxer Billy Fry was known for his quick feet, reflexes and powerful left-right combinations which saw him compete in Commonwealth Games.

Australian cycling road champion Jack Trickey is also among the inductees. One of his career highlights is competing at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

The entire 44 inductees are on display at the Bendigo Stadium, where visitors are able to take a journey through time and read about the men and women who have achieved what most can only dream about.

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