Olympic honour for Gympie student
TALENT, honesty, hard work and dedication have earned Gympie high student Tanika McClintock Olympic recognition.
The 17-year-old Year 12 student joins the likes of Olympian Jessicah Schipper in receiving the respected Pierre de Coubertin Award, which was presented to her in a ceremony on July 23 in Brisbane.
The award, named after the founder of the modern Olympic games, is presented to students who demonstrate the essence of the Olympic spirit.
Nominees must have competed for their school, district or region in at least three sports, one of which must be on the Olympic program, and have demonstrated initiative, teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play.
McClintock, who is accomplished in several sports including athletics, cross-country, squash and swimming, said she was proud to receive the award.
"I felt honoured to be the only one at my school to be nominated," she said.
"It felt good to be recognised for good sportsmanship because sports is all about that."
To be eligible for the award, McClintock, who puts most of her effort into athletics, was required to submit literary or artistic work which illustrated her appreciation of the Olympic movement.
"I submitted a movie on the history of the Olympic Games which included the background of the Pierre de Coubertin," she said.
She may be young, but McClintock, who trains at least five times at the gym and with coach Shaun Lethem, has already notched up several sporting achievements and has her eye on future success.
"My highlight was the Pan Pacific Games in 2008. I have represented Queensland for athletics a few times as well as representing Gympie for squash, athletics and netball," she said.
McClintock also has her eye on the Olympics and the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, however for the short-term, she will focus on an Australian ranking in discus and competing at the World Junior Championships next year.
She is also undertaking a sports coaching traineeship with Queensland Little Athletics.
