Kyra Cooney-Cross is one of the Gunner Matildas set to grace the Paris Olympics. Her Arsenal teammates, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley, also made the Australia Olympics squad.
Cooney-Cross, who is only 22 years old, will compete in her second Olympic event in Paris after making the Australian Olympic squad for the Tokyo Olympics.
Well, before the Olympics kick off on Thursday, Cooney-Cross spoke about what it meant for her to be part of Australia’s Olympic squad and the sacrifices she made to be in that position. She described her determination to succeed in the game, acknowledging the sacrifices made by her mother and her own journey to becoming an Australian international.
Cooney-Cross revealed on Instagram, “Yeah. Not many people get to go to the Olympics and experience being at the Olympics. It’s a lot of hard work, so, yeah, it’s an honour. I made a lot of sacrifices. Like, I moved away from home quite early on.
“I was 15. I did a lot of travelling. Mum and I would travel a couple hours, maybe 4 or 5 times a week, for me to get to training to Melbourne. I moved to Sydney when I was 15 to be a part of the future Matildas program. Then I moved to Sweden, and now England.
“When I was at the World Cup, when we would walk out and we would sing the national anthem, the the first thing I would do is look out for my family. It’s quite surreal, and it’s emotional. I think the World Cup was kind of like a wake-up call. It was like, wow. I get to play for my country and represent, yeah, Australia.”
“I’m so lucky to play with these girls.”
In Tokyo, Australia did have a decent run, but unfortunately didn’t get a podium finish. They finished fourth behind the USA, who finished third and won bronze; Sweden, who were the runner-up and won silver; and Canada, the winners, who won gold.
This time, they’ll be hoping for a podium finish, and we surely should send our best wishes to them.
Looking forward to the Paris Olympics Gooners?
Michelle M
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