Gympie’s Georgia Nugent is one of two Queenslanders who will fly to Berlin on Sunday to represent Australia at the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Georgia, who will turn 18 on June 30, is part of the Gympie Gymnastics Club where she is trained by national coach Natalie Upshall.
The 17-year-old, who has an intellectual impairment and autism is part of a 64-strong team which will compete in nine different sports in Germany from June 17-25.
Six athletes were chosen to be part of the artistic gymnastics squad, with Georgia one of two Queenslanders heading to Europe.
She will compete in four different disciplines at the Special Olympics, floor, beam, bars and vault.
09/06/2023 – Gymnast Georgia Nugent (left) with coach Natalie Upshall (centre) and Governor of Queensland Dr Jeannette Young at a recent function to celebrate the Special Olympians at Government House. Picture: supplied
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Georgia is level two, so she does set routines. At the games gymnasts will be in her own division and will then compete against others who are in the same age and level as her.
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Natalie Upshall, who is also one of the national coaches, has been coaching Georgia in Gympie since 2016 and is delighted to be joining her on her special journey.
“In 2007, another athlete from our club was chosen and we went to Shanghai for the World Games,” she said.
“So it’s really nice to have another athlete travelling again from our club.
“It is very hard to be selected. Especially when you’ve got 30 athletes that compete for six positions in the gymnastics team.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys.”
09/06/2023 – Gymnast Georgia Nugent with her Australian bag and uniform for the upcoming Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. Picture: supplied
Georgia and Natalie fly to Germany on Sunday. They will head to Potsdam first for seven days to get acclimatised and allow the athletes to get used to the timezone change.
Natalie said Georgia was excited and nervous at the same time but was also well prepared ahead of the Games.
“She’s more than ready to go,” Natalie said.
“She’s excited but nervous because Mum and Dad won’t be travelling with us.
“We had our last training session on Monday and she’s got all her routines down pat after training very hard.
“It’ll just be that anxiety of being away from home and being on the other side of the world.
“We have done a lot of preparation work with her to get her ready for the games.”
Natalie said she and the Gympie Gymnastic Club members were full of support for Georgia as she heads off to compete.
The coach said she had a special relationship with Georgia which allowed her to prepare her well for what lies ahead.
09/06/2023 – Gymnast Georgia Nugent with her coach Natalie Upshall. Picture: supplied
“I’ve explained to her that I’ve been there before with athletes from our own club,” Natalie said.
“She’s been able to talk to other athletes that have travelled without their parents.
“All of her friends from school and at the club have sent her messages of good luck.
“She has those in a diary, so if she’s feeling a bit homesick she can read those and realise everyone is rooting for her back home.”
The Special Olympics were the brainchild of American philanthropist Eunice Kennedy Shriver and were first held in 1968.
Natalie said the World Games was a chance for those with learning difficulties, who might not necessarily be elite athletes just to take part.
Club members were right behind Georgia, Natalie said, and messages of support were there from everyone involved.
“We’ve just had a couple of our mainstream male gymnasts come back from nationals and their goal is to make world games,” Natalie said.
“One of them said to Georgia ‘just enjoy the experience, have a good time, and if you bring back a medal, it’s going to be a bonus’.
“They’re all just so excited for Georgia to be going and very proud that she’s made it.
“She puts in the hard yards and it’s been fun to watch her her grow and to come out of her shell.
“Georgia was such a shy, anxious young lady when she first started and to now have the confidence to leave mum and dad behind and travel to the Special Olympics is just amazing.
“Hopefully she can come back with a medal for the perfect 18th birthday present.”