TINY ATHLETE HAS OLYMPICS IN SIGHTS
18.11.1996
By TONY KOCH chief reporter FOR the first 20 years of her life, Nancy Nona's training track was the sandy shores of tiny Badu Island in the Torres Strait.
She had never seen running spikes; had never seen a running track that did not have goalposts at each end; had never even tasted anything as ""exotic''as pasta.
It's an unlikely history for an Australian 800m Olympic hopeful,but the flying feet of tiny Nona challenge the accepted norm.
And tiny she is _ 160cm tall and just 42kg.
But those in the know _ including her coach, Gill Odurey, and her idol, Olympian Cathy Freeman _ predict that Badu Island's few hundred residents will be cheering on their little champion at the Sydney 2000 Games.
Mr Odurey, a former Commonwealth Games boxer, believes Nancy is "certainly tough enough''.
"Cathy Freeman visited here early in the year and that was the encouragement that Nancy needed to decide to get serious about running middle-distance,'' he said.
"A girl who's got to the standard she has by training barefoot on the beaches is outstanding. She has a natural graceful technique, and terrifically strong push from the legs and ankles.
"If she wants it badly enough, she can make it to Sydney.''
Nancy, encouraged by her father, Badu chairman Joey Nona, has moved to Toowoomba's University of Southern Queensland to study a business degree.
In September, she came fourth in the University Games in Canberra,despite suffering an illness.
"It was so cold, I couldn't believe it,'' she said.
"I would really like to achieve in the same way Cathy has, she's such a wonderful person.''
A question such as: ""How many brothers and sisters do you have?'',
can take longer than an 800m race to answer _ but there are 22 of them, and she is the youngest!
"Mother and father had 14 children and they took in another
nine,'' she said.
"I'm looking forward to seeing them at Christmas because I'm going over to the back of the island where I will do some training and I will be looking after my nieces and nephews. And we will be eating seafood _
I really miss seafood, but I do like pasta now I've tasted it.''
Nancy is in the care of ""Aunty'', Associate Professor Gracelyn Smallwood, who is attached to Kumbari-Ngurpai Lag Higher Education Centre at the Toowoomba University.
Professor Smallwood is putting her fleet-footed charge to work this week, enlisting her as a volunteer in Pathways, one of the largest indigenous conferences in Australia.
The week-long talkfest will debate topics ranging from the "stolen generation'' to black deaths in custody, land rights and health.
Speakers include former senator Neville Bonner, Gary Foley, Bob Weatherall, Steve Mam, Jackie Huggins, Michael Mansell, Cheryl Buchanan and Professor Smallwood.
State Health Minister Mike Horan will address the conference this morning.
