Edition 43 | 2021
In[ter]view The Olympians from Next Door Interviewer Nahum Gale
The Olympic Games – the world’s largest sporting event. An event inspired by the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD ancient Olympic Games based in Olympia, Greece. An event which brings together over 200 countries for both a Summer and Winter clash of talent and skill. An event which occurs every four years... until COVID-19 said, ‘No, no, no, I don’t think so.’ When the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world early last year, I doubt anyone suspected the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would be one of the major losses of the year. Delayed to the calendar year of 2021, finally, here we are now, and the Olympic Games we all waited for has come and past. So instead of dwelling on what may have been in a COVID-less world, let’s instead just bathe in the now and celebrate the accomplishments we as a society, as Australia, as UniSA, as our very special students, have achieved in this international event of near impossible magnitude. Verse caught up with three awesome Olympian students who made the trek to Tokyo, kicking butt in their chosen fields. Over the next few pages, we will be deep diving into the lives and pursuits of Alex Porter, a Team Pursuit Cyclist and Bronze Medallist, Katarina Kowplos, a Target Rifle Shooter placing 45th in Women’s 10m Air Rifle, 36th in Women’s 50m Rifle 3 positions and 22nd in 10m Air Rifle mixed team, and Flynn Ogilvie, a Perth-based Hockey player and Silver Medallist. These three students have portrayed exceptional strength, tenacity, and power from their training to their eventual performance on the world stage. Working closely with UniSA’s Elite Athlete and Performer Program, the trio have managed to live out their dreams and embark on, quite literally, an adventure of a lifetime. But firstly, what is UniSA’s Elite Athlete and Performer Program you ask? Well, we also touched base with Brooke Zabrowarny, the coordinator for the program, to understand how these students managed to juggle both their studies and the Olympian experience.
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