Poppe-Simone Sakr knows a thing or two about hard work – the Melton West teen has been selected to represent Special Olympics Victoria at the trans-Tasman tournament in New Zealand next weekend.
She’ll be one of 120 Australian athletes head to the land of the long white cloud to compete in the tournament … and she’s the youngest.
“I’m looking forward to going to New Zealand,” she says. “I think it’s going to be a great experience, and I’m excited to compete with everyone else.
“This is really great because I feel like all the hard work in the pool has finally paid off.”
Poppe-Simone, 15, who has an intellectual disability and autism, has been in the water since she was only three months old, but she’s only been with Special Olympics Victoria for the past eight months.
The teenager trains twice a week for two hours, and hopes to one day become a professional swimmer.
“I just want to advise people who want to be swimmers to just really work hard, train hard, and do whatever you can to achieve that dream,” Poppe-Simone says.
“I’ve made some really great friends at the pool, and they’ll be coming to New Zealand with me.”
For more information about the trans-Tasman tournament, visit goo.gl/x1pPWA.
