News Archive

Champion swimmer Jess Pengelly joins an exclusive group of athletes who have represented two countries on the world stage.

Jess , a student in the School of Sport Science Exercise and Health , has been chosen in Australia's elite swim team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The 22-year-old emigrated from South Africa with her family four years ago.  Two years before that, she was swimming for her birth country in the Olympics.

"I feel pretty special to be able to represent both my countries: South Africa where I was born and grew up, and Australia, where I am now a citizen," Jess said.

She won her first medals as a breaststroker at the age of 12.

"I was always good across all the strokes, and I went on to break national records in the Individual Medley (IM) as a teenager," she said.

Jess said she didn't remember much about the 2008 Olympics. "I was only 17 and I didn't make the finals."

She is ranked eighth in the world in the IM and says her goal in Glasgow is to make the finals.

"I don't know how much longer my swimming career will last.  I just take it one year at a time.  You can't take anything for granted. Things happen when you least expect them, like the shoulder injury I had that kept me out of swimming for eight months." That injury meant Jess didn't compete in the 2012 Olympics.

This is her first Commonwealth Games and she is keen to see what it will be like to go away with the Australian team.

The excitement and privilege of representing Australia is her reward for a gruelling training schedule of 10 two-hour swimming sessions and three hour-long gym sessions every week.

"The training is tough, and it's tiring, both physically and mentally, and I don't have a social life. Sometimes I feel as though I just don't want to do it any more. But then I remember my goals and you have to keep going if you want to reach your goals," she said.

Jess's first race, the 400 IM is on 24 July.