Taekwondo champion Lauren Burns has given some insight into her preperation before the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
Burns became the first Australian to win an Olympic gold medal in taekwondo, defeating Cuba's Urbia Melendez Rodriguez 4-2 in the women's under 49kg class final.
“I did go to one (event) to listen to the crowd, and it was part of my preparation,” Burns told SEN’s This Is Your Sporting Life thanks to Tobin Brothers Funerals
“I went along to the Grant Hackett 1500m swim final, and I just closed my eyes and I listened to that crowd and imagined that that was my event.
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“I felt the energy of the crowd … you feel it all through your body. You can’t help but not feel it.
“That held me in really good stead because when I competed it was just unbelievable.
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“The noise at the state sport’s centre, because it’s quite a small stadium, 10,000 people sounded like 50,000 people, it was louder than the opening ceremony.
“People were chanting my name and every time I kicked, they would cheer and if I didn’t score a point, they would boo.”
Burns, 47, received an Order of Australia Medal in 2001 and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2017.