SHE WAS a voice on the radio, a couple of years back, when the shock, fear and dread of Australia finishing – gulp! – tenth at the London 2012 Olympic Games was still fresh and supposedly character-deforming in our collective national psyche.
She was out of the city somewhere, in one of those large rural bases that dot the country, and she had a purpose. It was a sports talent identification clinic for teenagers, and the woman, a national sports executive, was on a recruiting mission. She was a big game hunter, a big Games hunter. I never got her name, but I still remember her message.
“We’re not looking for athletes here today,” she said, dismissing the thought. “We’re looking for gold medallists.”
And so it begins. Anew. Again.…