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Mix of seasoned, first time competitors ‘ready to roll’

JOINING archer Peter Boukouvalas and swimmer Abbey Connor at the Paris Olympics, will be swimmer Se-Bom Lee, boxer Tina Rahimi, soccer’s Mary Fowler, athlete Jessica Hull, tennis’ Alexei Popyrin and water polo’s Chaz Poot.

Campsie-born and 400m individual medley swimmer Se-Bom, 23, won a bronze medal in the Tokyo trials and placed fifth and sixth in the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham in 2022.
He won a place in his second Olympics by finishing second in the 200m backstroke at the trials in Brisbane in June and also finished third in the 200m medley.
Australia’s first Muslim female Commonwealth Games boxer in 2022, Bankstown resident Tina, 28, won the Bronze Medal in the Women’s Featherweight Division.
She also won the gold medal at the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, in November 2023, which saw her qualify for Paris.
“It’s a fantastic feeling going to the Olympics; I love breaking down barriers and demonstrating that anyone is capable of anything,” she said.
Former Bankstown CIty Lions star Mary is on the cusp of her second Olympics with the Matildas and will be looking to build on her 2023 World Cup semi-final appearance which included two goals and a spot-kick in a penalty shootout.
Long distance runner and Bankstown Sports Athletics Club star Jessica, 27, has been the Oceanian record holder for the 1500m, mile and 3000m, and the Australian record holder for the 5000m.
In 2024, her Oceania record in the 1500m was also the fifth fastest of all-time in the world.
Campsie-born tennis star Alexei Popyrin, 24, fell short of upsetting Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last Saturday night but is eyeing off a return to centre stage in Paris.
Bankstown-born water polo star Chaz Poot, 25, shone at the Junior World Championships in 2016 and made his senior debut at the 2022 FINA World League Intercontinental Cup, where Australia came second.