How Athens near-miss drove Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee Emma Snowsill to greatness
Emma Snowsill was 11 when she first set her sights on the Olympics. The champion triathlete and Beijing gold medallist’s career will be recognised when she is inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in October.
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Emma Snowsill still remembers the exact cushion she was sitting on in the loungeroom of the family's Gold Coast home when she decided she wanted to be an Olympian.
An 11-year-old Snowsill was watching the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and was captivated by the swimming.
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“I remember as a kid watching Susie O'Neill, Sam Riley and all the Australian swimmers, that was my sport at the time, I loved swimming,” Snowsill says.
“I recall the opening ceremony, the music, watching them on the podium when they won. And I think that's when it (the Olympic dream) became more tangible.”
Sixteen years later Snowsill was the one on the podium receiving an Olympic gold medal, the highlight of a stunning triathlon career which is being celebrated next month when she’s inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Snowsill's journey to becoming one of the most decorated triathletes in history started in Noosa at the age of 16.
She'd previously dabbled in tennis, basketball, ballet and skiing but was invited to do the swim leg of a team race at the Noosa triathlon.
From that moment she was hooked and three years later she won her first national age title followed by the world junior title in Perth and victory at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival the following year.
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But Snowsill's rise to the top took an unexpected turn in 2002 when her boyfriend and fellow triathlete Luke Harrop was killed in a hit-and-run accident while on a training ride.
She took time away from the sport and contemplated walking away before encouragement from Luke's sister, star triathlete Loretta Harrop, convinced her to continue.
“You think about life obviously quite differently when you've been through those experiences as a young person and it was a very pivotal time in my life,” Snowsill says.
“It really does show the strength and testament of Loretta as a character and as a person. It's something that I will forever, forever be grateful for.”
The following year Snowsill won her first world title but her Olympic dreams were crushed when she suffered a stress fracture of the femur during the 2004 Olympic trials.
Missing out on the Athens Games drove Snowsill to new levels with back-to-back world titles and Commonwealth Games gold in Melbourne in 2006.
She was the first female triathlete to win three world crowns and also won the “grand slam” of city triathlons in Chicago, Los Angeles, London and New York.
Everything had built up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and when she got on the start line, Snowsill was surprised at what happened.
“I can remember being on the pontoon being very happy. I was the least nervous I'd ever been and it kind of worried me because I'm like, shouldn't I be the most nervous I've ever been?” Snowsill says.
“I just recall thinking, you know what, there is nothing to worry about. This is a swim, bike, run. It's as simple as that. All I've got to do is put down the best race I can.”
She did and claimed Australia's first triathlon gold — male or female — at the Olympic Games.
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In 2009 Snowsill was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport and in 2015 she was inducted into the ITU Hall of Fame and the Triathlon Australia Hall of Fame in 2017.
Funnily enough, she's not the only Olympic gold medallist in her household.
Snowsill now lives in Spain with her two young children and husband Jan Frodeno who won the men's triathlon gold medal for Germany at the 2012 London Olympics.
“We realise it's a pretty unique combination to have in the one house,” Snowsill says. “My gold medal is actually in Australia with my mum and dad who are keeping it in a safe place because of all the travelling we do.”
Emma Snowsill will be inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame at the Induction and Awards Gala on Thursday 10th October 2019.
For tickets go to www.sahof.org.au