Top female athletes look ahead to 2016 Rio Olympics
AS WE mark six months until the greatest sporting show on earth, Sunday Style has lined up five of our top female athletes.
AS WE mark six months until the greatest sporting show on earth, the 2016 Rio Olympics, Jessica Prince-Montague has lined up five of our top female athletes.
NAME: Cate Campbell, 23
SPORT: Swimming
EVENTS: 50m and 100m freestyle, 4 x 100m freestyle relay
OLYMPICS: Beijing 2008, London 2012
MEDALS: 1 gold, 2 bronze
If all goes according to plan at the Australian swim trials in April, Cate Campbell will become a third-time Olympian in Rio, where she’s determined to make amends for disappointment four years ago.
After winning bronze at just 16 in the 50m freestyle in Beijing, Cate was unable to back it up with an individual medal in London — she was struck down with pancreatitis just two days before her event and missed qualifying for the final entirely. Even a gold medal in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay wasn’t enough to ease the despair.
“For the two weeks of my life when I needed to remain healthy, I was the sickest I’ve ever been,” she says. “There were definitely tears afterwards.”
Lining up beside Cate at the trials — and, hopefully, the Olympic final in Rio — will be younger sister Bronte, who doubles as her training partner and housemate. “We’ll chat in the marshalling area, but the moment I step out onto that pool deck, it’s all over,” says Cate of their rivalry. “You automatically flick the switch.”
As for her ambitions in Rio, Cate admits, “Every athlete wants to win an Olympic gold medal and I’d be lying if I said that’s not what I wanted.”
“I don’t go into Rio with a fear of failing, either,” the swimmer adds. “If you’re scared to lose, rather than excited to win, then that’s the wrong way to approach a race.”
NAME: Bronte Campbell, 21
SPORT: Swimming
EVENTS: 50m and 100m freestyle, 4 x 100m freestyle relay
OLYMPICS: London 2012
MEDALS: 0
When Bronte Campbell, then 18, joined sister Cate at the London Games in 2012, they became the first siblings in 40 years to represent Australia on the same Olympic swim team — let alone in the same event. “It was a special thing to share and we didn’t realise how significant it was until afterwards,” she says.
Like Cate, Bronte may have fallen short of making the 50m freestyle final in London, but she’s been the standout improver among our swimmers ever since. Last August, she became only the third person in history to win the women’s 50m and 100m freestyle at the world championships (which also marked the first time she beat her big sister at a major international event).
“It’s great now I don’t have to answer, ‘When are you going to beat Cate?’ anymore,” smiles Bronte. “I’ve had that question enough and it’s terribly irritating. Our coach has always emphasised we’re completely different athletes with different strengths and weaknesses.”
Bronte’s strength, she says, is her love of racing and pressure, especially “when everything you’ve done in the past four years comes down to the next 30 seconds and you’ve got to put it all together. You’re so terrified, but also excited at the same time.”
She doesn’t see herself as a favourite, though; her goal is to make a final. “I know it sounds modest, but all you have to do is get there, then anything can happen. It’s anyone’s game.”
NAME: Caroline Buchanan, 25
SPORT: BMX
EVENT: Women’s Individual BMX
OLYMPICS: London 2012
MEDALS: 0
On paper, Caroline Buchanan went into her debut Olympics in London poised for victory. She was ranked No. 1, came first in her semi-final and had first pick on the lane draw which, theoretically, would deliver her the gold. Except, the final didn’t go to plan.
“Nerves started to get the better of me and I became distracted by the crowd — the royal family was there and even David Beckham!” she says. “I also made a bad lane decision and stood up too early on the start gate, so my whole routine went out the window.”
Buchanan finished fifth. “It was like I had the nation behind me, so when I didn’t do well, I felt as if I’d let everyone down,” she says. “What I learned from London is that winning at the Olympics is completely different from winning at any other major race; everyone rises to that next level.”
Post London, Buchanan bounced back in the best way possible, adding two world titles to her name (Mountain Biking and BMX, both in 2013) and being crowned Elite Women’s BMX World Cup Series Champion in 2014. Even so, she’s not getting ahead of herself. “I’m not calling favourites. I’m just going in there prepared,” she says. “BMX is a sport where there are no rules. Once the [start] gate drops, it’s a 40-second scramble to the finish line.”
Buchanan has a full schedule leading up to Rio, thanks to three world cup events in Argentina, Manchester and Holland, plus travel between Canberra (where her family lives) and her base in California.
Meanwhile, the BMX course in Rio is “bigger and faster” than London. “It’ll be one huge adrenaline rush,” beams Buchanan. “The final will come down to who makes the least mistakes and who wants it most.”
NAME: Sally Pearson, 29
SPORT: Athletics
EVENT: 100m hurdles
OLYMPICS: Beijing 2008, London 2012
MEDALS: 1 gold, 1 silver
Rio will be Sally Pearson’s first Olympic Games as a defending champion. After snaring silver in Beijing and then going one better in London (winning gold by a mere 0.02 seconds), the champion hurdler knows there’s a certain expectation this time. “I feel the pressure’s on. Everybody expects more of me because they want to see me do it again. Whether it happens or not, I can’t guarantee, but I’ll certainly try,” she says.
The road to Rio for Pearson hasn’t been as smooth as previous Olympics — prior to London, she recorded her fastest time ever and won her first world title in 2011. In contrast, this time Pearson has recently battled hamstring injuries, two changes in coaches and a shattered wrist, the latter due to a mid-race crash last June in Rome that required several surgeries. “It was really rough to take,” she says of the season-ending injury. “But, to be honest, I also don’t think it made me hungrier for Rio. That just goes without saying. I’m always hungry, no matter what happens to me.”
Pearson, who’s based on the Gold Coast, says life right now “revolves around training” — she’s even installed a state-of-the-art gym at home to help her prepare. “It’s hard. Just
Pearson is confident, however, that she’s mentally prepared to go back-to-back and defend her title. “Hurdles is a brutal sport. It comes down to who can handle the expectation and stay focused. I’ve had three years of frustration; I feel it’s my turn again.”
NAME: Jessica Fox, 21
SPORT: Canoe slalom
EVENT: K1
OLYMPICS: London 2012
MEDALS: 1 silver
Sydney’s Jessica Fox was one of Australia’s biggest breakout stars at the London Olympics, thanks to a surprise silver medal in the women’s K1 (individual kayak) after qualifying eighth into the finals. But the “silver fox”, as she became affectionately known, has always had it in her pedigree — dad Richard competed in the sport for Great Britain in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, while mum Myriam, who also doubles as Fox’s coach, won bronze for her native France at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
“Having heard about the Olympics so many times growing up, I knew it was very special and not something everyone has the chance to do,” she says. “To think it’s just around the corner again is really exciting. I still feel like I can improve and work towards some bigger goals in Rio.”
If her 2015 results are anything to go by, Fox is possibly one of our best gold-medal chances. In April, she won the under-23 world championships in K1, then backed this up by winning her third consecutive world championship gold in the C1 (individual canoe) class, which, unfortunately, won’t feature in the Olympics until 2020.
“The past two years have been long trips overseas, where I’ve based myself in Europe because the races are too close together to come home,” adds Fox, who’s studying for a degree in psychology and communications.
She also travelled to Rio late last year for her first look at the Olympic course — but there’s a catch. “We get to train on the rapids and try all different moves, although we don’t find out the set gate combination for the race until the night before,” Fox explains.
“On the day, you’ve just got to trust your skills and your adaptability,” she adds. “A gold medal is a dream goal, so hopefully I can put down my best racing. I know that I’m more mature and stronger than last time.”
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