Olympians inspire Katanning Kids to shine

Katanning received a visit from Olympic athletes Josie Tomic and Sophie White last Thursday as part of a tour of regional WA organised by the Olympic Committee.

“We basically try to get to every region every two years — we go to between four and five regions each year in WA,” Olympic Committee community engagement co-ordinator Amy Sarandopoulos said.

“Every region is different, so the way we tailor it is a little bit different to try to meet the needs of what people are interested in, the people that are there and the gaps that are there.”

Track cyclist Josie Tomic and athlete Sophie White shared their Olympic story with a group of children at the Katanning Leisure Centre.

“My sport is a dangerous sport, you’re riding at high speed and lots of crashes can happen,” Tomic said.

Tomic, who represented Australia in the 2012 London Olympics, attributed the success she has enjoyed in and out of the velodrome to skills gained through sport.

“Everything I learnt through cycling, working hard, facing challenges, setting goals, working towards goals — all of those things helped me become who I am today,” she said.

White’s Olympic journey started when she competed in the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics.

“I was in Year 11 at the time that I went to Argentina, I was doing my ATAR studies at the time so I was trying to juggle that,” White said.

“It was the biggest comp I’d been to and the longest time I’d been away from my family as well.

“They lost my luggage — for a couple of days it was a bit rough, wearing the same clothes.”

Children asked Tomic and White a range of questions, including if White had seen professional footballer Lionel Messi when she was in Argentina.

“The Olympics wants to have an impact in the community, and we want to share the benefits and the stories that these guys have,” Ms Sarandopoulos said.