From the Front Turf at St Kilda Road to the Olympics
On Tuesday, we were thrilled to welcome Olympic Champion, Jemima Montag (OW2016) back to Wesley to speak to students at the Middle School winter sport awards assembly.
Jemima won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics - an individual medal in the 20km Race Walk event, breaking her own national record with a time of 1:26:25. She then teamed up with Rhydian Cowley to clinch bronze in the inaugural Mixed Relay Race Walk Marathon, which involves one male and one female athlete walking twice to cover a marathon distance of 42.195 km.
Jemima attended Wesley from Prep to Year 12 and took advantage of the full range of opportunities on offer from debating to music, sport and leadership – becoming the Charities Prefect and the Cross Country captain. She found liberation in the variety of options available to her and enjoyed taking a generalist route in her studies through the IB DP.
She believes in the power of sport, not just for its physical and mental benefits, but for its ability to provide so many important life skills. ‘Sport teaches you about leadership, teamwork, goal setting, respect, resilience and commitment and provides a sense of belonging… things that translate to all areas of your life,’ she said.
In the final stretches of Jemima’s race walk, when her mind and body were starting to fatigue, she saw a sign her sister Andie (OW2021) was holding in the crowd which read, ‘There’s nothing wrong with being good,’ a mantra that was drummed into her and her peers at Wesley by former music teacher, Mark Ford. It inspired Jemima to dig deep and find that little bit extra to keep going... and the rest is history!
Jemima now appreciates the intention behind this message. ‘It’s about not being afraid to state my ambitions about what I want to achieve, and that wanting something is different to needing it,’ she said. ‘It removed the fear of failure and reminded me of who I am, what I was doing and why. I was just so happy to be out there competing in the Olympics.’
‘Medals are cool, but it’s the journey and experiences that you remember and take with you through life, and these are available to everyone,’ she said. ‘Sport has given me so much… new friendships, the opportunity to travel, but most importantly, it has challenged me and helped me to realise that obstacles are just opportunities to learn.’
Her advice to students? ‘Sport is for everyone, regardless of ability. Play the long game. Don’t over train. Learn the fundamentals and keep it fun,’ she said. ‘And most importantly, remember that you belong!’
Jemima’s performance in Paris made her the first Australian woman to win two medals in Athletics at the same Games since Raelene Boyle in 1972. Now a double Olympian, having finished 6th in the Race Walk at Tokyo 2020, Jemima came away from Paris ‘feeling satisfied, relieved, and thrilled’ with her Olympic medals.
Thank you, Jemima, for returning to your alma mater to share your journey and for inspiring the next generation of Wesley athletes to follow their dreams, because anything is possible, and dreams really can come true.
