JENNA Strauch is ready to get back in the pool and compete at the highest level and off the back of her showing that the Tokyo Olympics swimmer has been named Bendigo Sports Star winner for July.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot, Bendigo\u2019s my hometown, I don\u2019t live there permanently but my family\u2019s from there, I grew up there they\u2019re living there and it\u2019s a big part of my journey,\u201d Strauch said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so proud of where I\u2019ve come from so to be able to receive that award and still be a part of the community is pretty special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strauch competed in the 200-metre breaststroke at last month\u2019s games, finishing sixth in her semi-final and missing the final by about half a second.<\/p>\n
She said coming that close motivates her to train for the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI swam a personal best time while I was over there so to do that at an Olympics is something that I really need to be proud of, it\u2019s pretty hard to do that on a big world stage especially at an Olympics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting ninth is hard, I just needed one more spot and we would\u2019ve been into the final and another swim, but everything happens for a reason, and I am so motivated going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at the girl who actually won my event and got the world record, and about three years ago she was sitting in a similar position to what I am.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully in three years\u2019 time I\u2019ll be back with the team, and we can try get on that podium.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although her performance didn\u2019t end in individual success, Strauch said she was honoured to be a part of Australia\u2019s most successful Olympic swimming team ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve grown up looking up to the era that\u2019s had Liesel Jones, Ian Thorpe, all those really big names in swimming and so to be actually a part of a team that has excelled and overachieved is something that\u2019s hard to put I to words,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With Bendigo cheering for her during the Games, Strauch said she is grateful to have the support of her hometown behind her on her journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hope the community knows they always have a place with me in my heart and I hope that I\u2019ve been able to inspire younger kids and even adults to have a dream and do what you need to do to get there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JENNA Strauch is ready to get back in the pool and compete at the highest level and off the back of her showing that the Tokyo Olympics swimmer has been named Bendigo Sports Star winner for July. \u201cIt means a lot, Bendigo\u2019s my hometown, I don\u2019t live there permanently but my family\u2019s from there, I […]<\/p>\n