Bendere Opamo Oboya (born 17 April 2000) is an Australian

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

. She competed in the women's 400 metres event at the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Oboya competed in both the women's 400 meters and was a member of the Australian team that competed in the women's 4 x 400 meter relay. She came fifth in her individual event in her heat and was eliminated. As a member of the team of

Ellie Beer Ellie Beer (born 3 January 2003) is an Australian athlete. She competed in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Beer was a member of the Australian team that competed in ...

, Kendra Hubbard and Annaliese Rubie-Renshaw they finished 7th in their heat and did not contest the final.

Early life

Oboya arrived in Australia in 2003 aged three with her family including five siblings. She participated in athletics when only very young at Blacktown Little Athletics. When she was 16 years old she went on a school athletics trip to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. This encouraged her to take her athletics career more seriously, found a coach and started training. She has stated that she enjoyed her childhood growing up in Pendle Hill, New South Wales, in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

's west.The athletics training group helping runners from all backgrounds get back on track
Amanda Shalala (

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

), 1 January 2021. Accessed 20 July 2021.

Athletics career

Her talent was already visible at school when she quickly rose up the ranks. At the

2017 Commonwealth Youth Games The 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, officially known as the VI Commonwealth Youth Games, and commonly known as Bahamas 2017, or Nassau 2017, was the sixth edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games which started in 2000. The games were held from 19 to ...

, she won the gold medal at 400 metres. At the 2019 World Athletics Championships – 400 metres, she reached the semi-finals. She nearly quit the sport due to mental health issues after a tumultuous 2019 and a bitter split from her former coach. John Quinn, who is a well-respected sprints coach, became her mentor. Quinn stated that Bendere Oboya is a role model because of her humility. As of January 2021, she is Australia’s women's 400 metres champion ( Sydney Track Classic). She was Australia’s only sprinter to have run a qualifying time for the Tokyo Olympics.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oboya, Bendere 2000 births Living people Australian female sprinters World Athletics Championships athletes for Australia Australian Athletics Championships winners Ethiopian emigrants to Australia Sportspeople from Gambela Region Sportswomen from New South Wales Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Australia Olympic female sprinters 21st-century Australian women