Australian race walker Jemima Montag won another race-walking gold, inspired every step of the way by her grandparents, who survived the horrors of the Holocaust’s concentration camps. | By mickgleeson
Jemima Montag won gold in Birmingham. That is the least interesting part of this story.
The thought of her grandmother avoiding gas chambers and walking to freedom across ice with no food and barely any clothes made walking around a blue track in the Birmingham sunshine easy.Montag’s grandparents were survivors of Auschwitz. Her grandmother Judith died last year before the Olympics, and in hotel quarantine Montag and her aunt waded through love letters and documents and uncovered more of the family’s extraordinary story.
“So visualising her walking on ice, not knowing when her next meal would be, or if she would survive. Yes, this is fun and something I choose to do, and yes, it’s hard, but someone just two generations ago had that level of strength and I know it is with me now.
“She was about 12 years old going into the camps, and they did not cross paths, and the love story which is really beautiful is that the war finished, everyone fled to different spots and he fled to Melbourne, she fled to Paris, married someone else and had a child but [her husband then] died of diabetic liver complications,” Montag said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jemima Montag embodying 'Australian values' as a role model for athletesAustralian race walker and reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Jemima Montag says she's embracing the pressure of defending her crown at the Birmingham Games, but most of all wants to inspire the next generation of athletes.
Read more »
World champ Patterson falls short in high jump final, Montag wins gold in walkOnly weeks after winning the world championship, Australia's Eleanor Patterson misses gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, while Australian teammate Jemima Montag tops the podium in the women's walk.
Read more »
Commonwealth Games 2022 Day 9 LIVE updates: Browning sorry after relay disaster; Hoare wins 1500m; Eleanor Patterson takes silver in high jump as Montag, Aussies bowl pair win goldLIVE | Australian sprinter Rohan Browning has apologised to his teammates after slipping over as he attempted to take the baton for the last leg of their 4x100m sprint heat. Join us for the key moments in our blog. commonwealthgames birmingham2022
Read more »
Commonwealth Games 2022 Day 9 LIVE updates: Eleanor Patterson takes silver in high jump as Montag, Aussies bowl pair win goldLIVE | Eleanor Patterson takes silver in high jump as Jemima Montag, Aussies bowl pair win golds. It's an exciting night for our athletes. Join us for the key moments in our blog. commonwealthgames birmingham2022 rpjward
Read more »
World champ Patterson falls short in high jump final, Montag wins gold in walkOnly weeks after winning the world championship, Australia's Eleanor Patterson misses gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, while Australian teammate Jemima Montag tops the podium in the women's walk.
Read more »