Ask any Australian sports fan who our Opening Ceremony Flag Bearers were at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and most would volunteer Patty Mills and Cate Campbell had the prestigious honour.
But if they ventured there was a third Australian who also carried a flag into the Japan National Stadium on the 23rd of July 2021, they also would be correct.
The third Aussie athlete was pistol shooter Elena Galiabovitch, who was selected by the International Olympic Committee as Oceania’s representative to carry the Olympic flag into the stadium in recognition of her work as a frontline healthcare worker during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Melbourne doctor said of all her achievements, it may be the hardest to beat.
“I didn't feel like I shared it or celebrated because I went straight into competition mode,” Elena said.
“I remember telling myself, I need to reflect on this more. It was a really cool experience. I don't know that I'd ever get any higher honour. I will never forget it.”
Tokyo was Elena’s second Olympics after Rio 2016 and Paris marks her third Olympic appearance as she takes to the range at the National Shooting Centre in Châteauroux for qualifying in the 10m air pistol.
Her first two Olympics brought mixed success. In Rio she finished 31st in the 25m pistol and 43rd in the 10m air pistol, while in Tokyo she improved to finish 27th in the 10m air pistol and 11th in the 25m pistol, missing out on the final by one point.
Outside the Olympics Elena has achieved World Cup gold and two Commonwealth Games medals. Her goal for Paris is to go one better than she did in Tokyo and make her first Olympic final.
“I am working on not having so many expectations,” she said.
“You can't go in there without any expectations at all, but I think that's a thing that plagues a lot of athletes, it's just your expectations.
“I would love to be in an Olympic final. I think no matter what place you come, it would be an amazing experience to participate in. I really enjoy shooting finals, I think they're more fun than the qualification. I want that opportunity.”
If Elena is to make the final in either the 10m air pistol or her preferred 25m pistol, she will become the first Australian pistol shooter to make an Olympic final since Annmarie Forder in the 10m air pistol at Sydney 2000.
Annmarie claimed bronze, which also remains Australia’s last pistol shooting medal. It is one of only two pistol shooting medals achieved by Australia at the Olympics, the other coming from Patricia Dench with a bronze in the 25m pistol in Los Angeles in 1984.
Elena will use Annmarie’s achievement from Sydney as inspiration in Paris.
“She had a long time off after her Olympics and she didn't participate,” she said. “But in the last few years she’s come to some comps. It’s motivating to shoot with an Olympic medallist. It just gives you more drive. So it is nice to be around people like that.”
The women’s 10m air pistol qualifying will be held at the National Shooting Centre in Châteauroux on 27 July at 8:30pm (AEST).
This article was originally written for The Australian Olympic Team. You can read the published version here
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