The Rhythm of the Ribbon
A spectacle of dance and aerobic fitness, rhythmic gymnastics is a jewel of the Olympic program not to be missed.
Lighting up Wembley Stadium this August will be Perth’s shining young champion Janine Murray.
Buoyed by her recent success at the Pacific Rim Championships in Seattle, Murray is excited about the prospect of competing at her first Olympic Games this July.
“I picked up silver in both hoop and ball and bronze in the ribbon at Pac Rims,” said Murray, who qualified for all four apparatus finals and finished third overall.
The results are indicative of the 22-year-old’s hard work and determination to be Australia’s number one rhythmic gymnast, training six days a week at the Western Australian Institute of Sport.
Murray will be Australia’s sole representative at the London Olympics after being issued a wildcard nomination for being the top ranked Oceania athlete at the 2011 World Championships in Montpellier, France.
When selected, Murray will become just the sixth Australian to compete in rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympics and she is determined to achieve personal best scores across all four disciplines and get the most out of the Olympic experience.
In London, Murray will be up against 23 of the world’s best gymnasts, competing in rope, ball, ribbon and clubs.
“My favourite discipline is the ribbon,” Murray said, “and it is my strongest too!”
With her strength lying in the ribbon, Murray has been working hard on the other three disciplines to improve her overall performance for London.
“I have four very different routines,” she said. “As well as having high value apparatus and body skills in each routine, the choreography must also interpret and work with the music.
“My ball routine has been choreographed most recently and it is a very different style to what I usually perform. However, it’s a great challenge and a routine I’m looking forward to performing in London. I’m also currently working on mastering a triple progressive pivot to triple passé pivot.”
A triple passé pivot is hard enough for most people to pronounce, let alone perform. But Murray takes it in her stride, training for the Games while finishing her degree in Sport and Exercise Science and working part time in a physiotherapy practice.
With just four months to go until the Games, Murray is set to realise an Olympic dream that was born in a small Zimbabwean gymnastics club in Harare where she grew up. It was in 2006 however that Murray realised her hobby could see her reach elite levels.
“I was a member of the Australian squad for the 2006 Commonwealth Games,” Murray said. “I didn’t make the team but I realised then that it was possible for me to continue the sport to an Olympic level.”
Six years later and Murray is on track to London with a host of competitions between now and July to prepare her for Olympic competition.
“I am currently preparing for the Penza World Cup in Russia and the Dundee Senior International Competition in Sofia, Bulgaria. Then I have National Championships in May and either one more comp or a training camp in Europe just before the Games,” Murray said.
“As far as training goes between now and the Games, I will be spending lots and lots (and lots) of hours in the gym training in preparation for London!”
Alice Wheeler
AOC