As the youngest child of six, Bendere Oboya always knew she would be an athlete but didn’t know where to start.
“I watched the Rio Olympics sitting on the couch in my parent’s home, and I told myself ‘I will make the next Olympics,” she said.
Five years later, she was on the start line at the Tokyo Olympics and ran in the 400m and the lead-off leg for the 4x400m relay team.
Oboya, who was born in Gambella, Ethiopia, moved to Sydney with her family when she was three. As a teenager, she improved from a 75-second 400m to a 52.96 in just one year, leading to a second-place finish at the Australian Championships and Commonwealth Games trials.
Now, at 23 years old, Oboya brings international championship experience, having raced in the Tokyo Games and the Doha 2019 IAAf World Championships Under 20.
Coach Craig Mottram said: “I have been following Bendere’s transition from the 400m where she competed at the Tokyo Olympics, to now, where she has displayed immense talent over 800m. Bendere brings a bubbly, positive attitude that all the OAC Oceania team members have welcomed. We are very excited about continuing to build this supportive program that is a part of the OAC. The future is bright and we continue to Dream On!”
