Italian
"Firstly in the flyweight division and the first Indigenous athlete selected on the team for Tokyo so far, continuing a proud tradition of indigenous boxing Olympians, not only in boxing but across a range of Olympic sports. Ladies and gentlemen I congratulate Alex Winwood."
Questo momento è arrivato dopo una lunga attesa per il 23enne Alex Winwood, un membro dei Noongar da Perth.
"It’s something that I've been working for five years straight. And just to know that it’s not just the boxing team like the world championships or something. It's us representing our sporting culture as Australia and showing the world what we have."
La selezione di altri cinque pugili oltre a Winwood porta il numero degli atleti confermati nella squadra australiana a 103.
Questo numero è formato da 54 donne e 49 uomini, segno che l'uguaglianza di genere nello sport sta diventando la norma piuttosto che l'eccezione.
Caitlin Parker è una delle due donne nella squadra e la 25enne sostiene che, una volta che le donne hanno fatto il loro debutto nel ring del pugilato alle Olimpiadi di Londra del 2012, vincere una medaglia d'oro è diventato il suo obiettivo numero uno.
"That's the dream isn't it ? That's what's I've had in my mind since I found out that female boxing was being added to the 2012 Olympics so since then that's when I knew that I wanted that Olympic gold medal and I'm just that step closer now that this is real. I've finally got my Olympic ticket on to the Australia team so we're halfway there."
Lo sport è sempre stato a cuore a Winwood.
Quando era ancora a scuola divideva il suo tempo tra football australiano e pugilato.
L'atleta ha dichiarato che se fosse diventato più alto avrebbe preso in considerazione un'altra carriera.
"When I was in year 10, so I was about 15 years old I was still playing footy at the same time and that was probably my dream goal for sporting career at that point was to be an AFL player. But the height didn't come with it and it was when I got into boxing there was a lot of people my size and it made more sense, I enjoyed it sense I enjoyed it and my Dad really pushed for that."
Il debutto di Skye Nicolson sarà speciale per la sua famiglia.
Suo fratello defunto Jamie rappresentò l'Australia nel pugilato in un'Olimpiade, i Giochi di Barcellona del 1992.
Un anno prima della nascita di Nicolson nel 1995, Jamie e suo fratello minore Gavin furono coinvolti in un incidente d'auto mortale.
Skye racconta che la possibilità di rappresentare la sua famiglia in un'altra Olimpiade rende il suo successo ancora più speciale.
"I think I have the proudest parents in the world, it’s actually a little bit painful sometimes how they need to bring me up in every single conversation with every single person they ever meet. But I definitely feel like I'm not just representing my country but I'm representing my family and my family name and the legacy that's been going since before I was born so definitely very proud to be a part of that."
L'Australia non ha mai vinto una medaglia d'oro olimpica nella boxe, ma l'attuale nidiata di talenti ha un pedigree tale da suggerire che la lunga attesa possa terminare.
English
"Firstly in the flyweight division and the first Indigenous athlete selected on the team for Tokyo so far, continuing a proud tradition of indigenous boxing Olympians, not only in boxing but across a range of Olympic sports. Ladies and gentlemen I congratulate Alex Winwood."
That moment has been a long time in the making for 23 year old Alex Winwood, a Noongar man from Perth.
"It’s something that I've been working for five years straight. And just to know that it’s not just the boxing team like the world championships or something. It's us representing our sporting culture as Australia and showing the world what we have."
The selection of five other boxers alongside Winwood pushed the number of athletes confirmed on Australia's team up to 103.
That figure is made up of 54 women and 49 men in a sign that sporting gender equality is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
Caitlin Parker is one of two women on the team and the 25 year old says once women made their debuts in the boxing ring at the London Olympics in 2012, winning a gold medal became her number one objective.
"That's the dream isn't it ? That's what's I've had in my mind since I found out that female boxing was being added to the 2012 Olympics so since then that's when I knew that I wanted that Olympic gold medal and I'm just that step closer now that this is real. I've finally got my Olympic ticket on to the Australia team so we're halfway there."
Sport was always something close to Winwood's heart.
When he was still at school he was juggling Australian Rules Football and boxing at the same time.
He says if he'd grown taller, another career could have been considered.
"When I was in year 10, so I was about 15 years old I was still playing footy at the same time and that was probably my dream goal for sporting career at that point was to be an AFL player. But the height didn't come with it and it was when I got into boxing there was a lot of people my size and it made more sense, I enjoyed it sense I enjoyed it and my Dad really pushed for that."
Skye Nicolson's debut will be a special one for her family.
Her late brother Jamie also represented Australia in boxing at an Olympics, the Barcelona Games of 1992.
A year before Nicolson was born in 1995, Jamie and his younger brother Gavin were involved in a fatal car crash.
She says the chance to represent the family at another Olympics makes her achievement even more special.
"I think I have the proudest parents in the world, it’s actually a little bit painful sometimes how they need to bring me up in every single conversation with every single person they ever meet. But I definitely feel like I'm not just representing my country but I'm representing my family and my family name and the legacy that's been going since before I was born so definitely very proud to be a part of that."
Australia has never won an Olympic gold medal in boxing but the current crop of talent has the pedigree to suggest the drought may be about to end.
Report by John Baldock
