Australian Olympic Team Announced
June 21, 2012
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Aussie Olympic Team Named
By Elizabeth Grimsley
The 2012 Australian women’s Olympic team was named late last
night. Most of the team shouldn’t be a surprise to many. However, the athlete
that won the fifth spot on the team may come as a surprise.
Veteran and internationally experienced gymnast Lauren
Mitchell will lead the Australian team to London in a few weeks. Mitchell along
with Emily Little, Ashleigh Brennan, and Larissa Miller were considered locks
after the final Olympic Trial. But the real surprise came when Georgia Bonora
nabbed the final opening on the five-woman team.
Bonora is a seasoned competitor but has struggled with a lot
of ankle problems over the past couple of years, taking her out of competition
entirely in 2011. She beat out fellow countrymen Georgia Rose Brown (1st
reserve) and Mary-Anne Monckton (2nd reserve) for the spot.
Mitchell is probably the most well known of the five
athletes. She won gold on floor at the 2010 World Championships and picked up 
two silvers on beam and floor in London in 2009. Little also has a good amount
of international experience. She competed at the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships
where she placed sixth in the all around– the highest ranking of any other
Australian. Besides Mitchell and Bonora, Brennan is a former Olympian. She
helped the Australian team qualify to the team finals where they placed sixth.
Finally, Miller is strong on both bars and floor. She competed in the bar
finals at the 2009 World Championships.
Surprises or not, this is a very strong Olympic team for
Australia. The team has the talent to threaten some of the top teams in the
world. They have high expectations for London, but will have to wait to see if
those expectations are fulfilled like everyone else. A lot of things can happen
in 36 days. But if disaster strikes, the Australians have two very capable
alternates on their hands as well.
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Photos- Grace Chiu
