Meet the Skater: Kurt Stevens - getting back on track

While Kurt Stevens may have left the inline speed skating world behind him for close to 25 years, the sport never left him. 

After putting his first pair of skates on at the age of 10, it did not take Kurt too long to realise that he was pretty quick on eight wheels. 

“By the age of 11, I cleaned up five out of seven gold medals at the New South Wales State Champs,” said Kurt. “I went to my first nationals and I just got the bug from there”. 

At 16, Kurt had already competed at two Junior World Championships in South America - finishing 5th in the world in 1999. 

Kurt was the third youngest competitor at the 1997 Junior World Champs in Argentina. 

“Back then you didn’t have the ability to see what we see now, you couldn’t just jump on Facebook,” he said.

“So it was incredible once I got to Argentina to see how much the country actually backed the sport…basically my attitude was I wish racing was like that back here in Australia. It was fierce, competitive, and fast. It was awesome.”

After realising the economical and geographical challenges associated with pursuing a professional career in the sport during the 1990s, the teenager came to the decision that he would hang up his skates. 

Twelve-months ago the now 41-year-old father of two, decided to head back out on the track after a close to 25-year hiatus. 

“I returned when my kids started skating,” Kurt said. “I realised how much I missed it and came back to train on a Saturday while my kids were doing the beginner program, and somehow I ended up at States and Nationals this year”. 

Wearing the Queensland colours, Kurt made an extraordinary return to the 2025 Skate Australia Speed Nationals in January, picking up two golds. 

The inline speed skating veteran has not only rediscovered his love for competitive racing but  has also found a new love, coaching. 

The newest Logan City Speed Coach has embraced his new role and will head over to Korea in July as the Australian Team Coach for the 20th Asian Roller Skating Championships. 

“I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “The numbers we have been turning up on a Saturday is the highest they have been since 2008. 

“It is rewarding in its own sense…just seeing the opportunities to help guide them to get quicker and then working with the other coaches in the team, it has been nice to be a part of. 

“I’m looking forward to getting away (to Korea) and having a crack at this new role, I know most of them (the competitors) on the team already so I’m looking forward to it”. 

Kurt has the dream to make it back to the international stage as a competitor, and if his recent form is any indication this dream is very much a possibility. 

“I want to get my head screwed on and see if I can get back to the World Championships next year,” he said. “I’m still relatively quick in the 100 metres…I'm only 6/10ths off the senior men.

“I will be 42 and I’m like can I do it? But then again life is too short.”