Central Coast athlete Allanah Pitcher thought it was a prank when she received a call this week advising she had been selected as a last-minute reserve for the Race Walk Mixed Relay Olympic team.
“At first I was in shock; I had to keep asking them to repeat what they were saying,” she said.
“And then of course it was emotional.
“This is something you work towards your whole life.”
After a tough domestic season, Pitcher was working towards possible Olympic appearances at the 2028 and 2032 events.
To be called up as a reserve for Paris was a complete surprise and makes future Olympic selection seem more “real and attainable” she said.
“I am a reserve, but there is a possibility I could compete,” the 20-year-old, who is now in Montpelier preparing, said.
“They can switch us out to the last second so I will be doing the pre-race diet and warming up.
“I think I will be roaming around the Olympic Village very starstruck with eyes wide.
“Right now we are adapting to the heat we will be facing – it’s pretty much 33 degrees every day here.”
The Race Walk Mixed Relay will take place at 7.30am on August 7 and cover 42.195km.
A new Olympic event, it will see 25 teams participate, each made up of one male and one female athlete, who will complete the marathon distance in four stages of approximately 10km each.
The event will take place on the same course as the individual races, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Eagerly watching from Australia will be Allanah’s younger sister Sienna, 16, who also is an accomplished race walker.
Sienna won the under-18 years 5km Race Walk at the Oceania Athletic Championships in Fiji in June after winning at Nationals in April.
She also has her sights set on becoming an Olympian.
“Words cannot express how proud of Allanah I am,” she said.
“She has gone through so many obstacles and is such an inspiration to me.”
Sienna followed Allanah into the sport when she was just eight, training alongside her sister with Frank Overton.
“I did the qualifier for Junior Worlds in January and just missed out,” she said.
“But I get another chance to qualify in two years’ time so I’ll be training hard for that.”