![Dasha Joura]()
Half of the Gymnastics Section of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team will be Western Australian after three Western Australian Institute of Sport athletes were today officially selected by the Australian Olympic Committee.
Daria “Dasha” Joura, Lauren Mitchell and Olivia Vivian were all named (pending an appeal by Victorian Emma Dennis)in the six-person Women’s Artistic Team,equalling WA’s bestrepresentation in the Gymnastics Section of an Australian Olympic Team. WAIS coach Martine George was also named to the Team support staff.
18-year old Joura will lead the team with three all-roundnational championships to her name, while 16-year old Mitchell has a fifth place on beam at a World Championships to her credit and 18-year old Vivian possesses top class skills on the uneven bars. The team is quietly confident of performing on the biggest stage of them all and bringing home Australia’s first Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics.
“The qualification day is the be-all and end-all. Hopefully we will get it together this time after the disappointment of the 2007 World Championships and show our best to get into the top eight,”Joura said of the team’s chances of performing wellat the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium.
“We are capable of getting there and gymnastics is a sport where anything can happen.”
The WAIS trio are currently in camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, where they will remain before departing for China.
Following the gymnastics and men’s hockey announcements today the total number of WA representatives now stands at 37.
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18-year old Joura will lead the team with three all-roundnational championships to her name, while 16-year old Mitchell has a fifth place on beam at a World Championships to her credit and 18-year old Vivian possesses top class skills on the uneven bars. The team is quietly confident of performing on the biggest stage of them all and bringing home Australia’s first Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics.
The WAIS trio are currently in camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, where they will remain before departing for China.