RACHEL O’Brien has become Wellington Athletic Club’s first female athlete to qualify for the Australian Olympic trials, to be held in Sydney this month.
The 19-year-old recorded a personal best time of 2:14.87 minutes in the women’s open 800 metres at the state track and field championships on Saturday, just 48 hours before the deadline for qualification.
O’Brien has been a regular competitor at state and national competitions since she was 15 years old. She represented Victoria in 2015 and 2016 at the Australian junior and all schools championships, and in 2017 at the national junior titles.
O’Brien has always been driven to succeed in all her pursuits. Not only has she achieved sensational results throughout the years in high jump and 800m events, she has excelled in her education, and is currently in her second year studying physiotherapy at Monash University.
In recent years, O’Brien has suffered some setbacks in her training and opportunities to compete because of injuries, but she has not let this deter her from striving to reach her goals.
O’Brien is an active member of the Wellington Athletic Club and has been a strong role model for younger athletes to look up to.
