Miranda Menaspà

Meet Jemima, a talented racewalker with two Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medals and two Commonwealth Games gold medals (from the 2018 and 2022 games) to her name. She also holds the Australian record for the 20km race walk, clocking an impressive 1 hour, 27 minutes, and 9 seconds.

Jemima’s passion for race walking began in Little Athletics, where she quickly realised that throwing and jumping weren’t her strengths. Instead, her slow-twitch muscle fibres led her to the technical endurance event of race walking. At 16, she represented Australia for the first time at the World Race Walking Cup, and just after her 20th birthday, she made her senior debut at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where she won her first gold medal.

When asked what makes her proud to be a woman in sport, Jemima shares, “Watching other women athletes perform their craft makes me so proud to be one. Women athletes are bold, athletic, and strong, but at the end of the day, they’re also incredibly supportive, calm, nurturing, and great role models for the next generation.”

Outside of training, Jemima runs Girls Play On, an organisation that delivers inspiring presentations to school-aged girls, motivating them to march forward towards their goals and aspirations.