By Jessica Stewart

Topic: Sport

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 5:05 am

The race for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics has begun.

Australian sports fans are already thinking about which athletes will be in the Olympics.

Some names are Gout Gout, Lachie Kennedy, Cameron Myers, Claudia Hollingsworth, and Sienna Toohey.

For many Australians, it feels like these athletes will be in the Olympics, but what if they are not?

What if they get hurt or cannot handle the pressure?

This is an important question to ask.

Because six years is a long time for athletes.

Sam Konstas is an example of an athlete who had a tough time.

He was a young cricket player with a lot of potential.

But his career did not go as planned.

Australia loves young athletes who are very good.

Dr. Véronique Richard says that Australia's love for sports creates high expectations for young athletes.

She says that people want to see them do their best.

But predicting who will be successful in sports is very hard.

Even in sports where size is important, like basketball, it is still hard to predict.

In Olympic sports, there are many things that can affect how well an athlete does.

So, we should be realistic and not expect too much from young athletes.

Gout Gout is a young athlete who is very fast.

He set a new record for the 200 meters, but then did not do as well in another race.

People were disappointed, but he said he just wants to have fun and do his best.

Dr. Richard says that athletes need support to handle the pressure.

Australia is good at providing support for athletes.

Isaac Beacroft is another young athlete who is trying to balance different competitions.

He wants to do well in the Commonwealth Games and the World Athletics U20 Championships.

He trains a lot and has big goals.

Matthew Denny is an experienced athlete who knows how hard it is to be consistent.

He says that young athletes should focus on their work and not get ahead of themselves.

He also says that it is important to have good championships.

No one knows which athletes will still be competing in six years.

But Australia can help the next generation of athletes by giving them the support they need.

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 5:05 am

Young Australian sprint stars Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout have had many exciting races.

See more ABC coverage.

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