By Margaret Maccoll
Olympians Dawn Fraser and Benny Pike were centre stage at Noosa Surf Club last Sunday to farewell Olympic hopeful Kareena Lee who will compete in the 10km ocean swim at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Benny told guests at the event he was very proud to have been the first Noosa boy to enter the Olympics where he competed in the light heavyweight event at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
At the time his mum and dad owned Noosa’s beach house guest house which later became Annabelle’s Restaurant.
I went to Toowoomba Grammar. In my school days I was in a fight every day, never won one, he said.
Benny came back to Noosa and joined the Black Swan boxing group, which has had four entrants in the Olympics including Benny.
“The Olympic Games isn’t rugby league. It’s not AFL. It’s about the battler,“ he said.
Benny told the crowd the Sunshine Coast was well represented at the Olympics with Kareena Lee bringing the tally to 10.
Legendary swim coach John ’JR’ Rodgers joined Benny on stage to talk about his local swimmers Kareena and Nick Sloman who narrowly missed selection for the men’s 10km ocean swim at a qualifying race in Portugal on Monday.
“It’s been a long journey. We’ve run many laps up and down the beach,“ John said.
John praised Kareena’s dedication, saying in training she was always the first one in the water and the last one to leave.
“I feel she’s earnt everything she’s going to do,“ he said.
John will not be going to the Olympics with Kareena but will accompany her to Darwin for a week-long training camp prior to the games.
Dawn Fraser, the first female swimmer to win Gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games (1956, 1960 and 1964) knows well what it is like to represent your country at an Olympics.
Having just returned from the Olympic swimming trials in Adelaide Dawn said it was wonderful to see the swimmers, both able bodied and paras, getting through the pandemic to go to the games a year later than expected.
“It has been a hard time,“ she said.
Dawn told Kareena one of the best things in life was getting the blazer and representing your country. “It never leaves you that feeling. It’s fantastic,“ she said.
Kareena said it meant everything to her to make the team and when she got the blazer it would feel real.
“It’ll be a dream come true to come home with a medal,“ Kareena said. “To come home with gold would be everything.“
Kareena will be in Noosa for a month training at the University of the Sunshine Coast heated pool which at 31 degree Celsius will be similar to conditions in Tokyo.
She will spend a week training in Darwin to acclimatise to Tokyo conditions then because of COVID restrictions it will be a quick trip to Tokyo to compete in her 10km ocean swim event and leave.
“I have to leave within 48 hours,“ she said.
Dawn said all competitors had to be COVID tested before boarding the plane, in Tokyo, in the village and wear a mask 24 hours a day apart from being in the water and eating.
“They’re all prepared to do that,“ she said. “I know we can adapt to that,“ Kareena said. “We’ve been waiting for this for an extra year.“
“We wish you all the best. Have a good 10km swim. Best of luck girl,“ Dawn said.
