On June 8th, 2000, the Olympic flame arrived in Australia, in a part of the country that is a symbol in itself: Ayers Rock in the northern territories, the sacred rock of the Aborigines. The first to carry the torch was Darwin b

orn Nova Perris-Kneebone, first ever athlete from Aborigines background to win an Olympic gold medal with the Australian lawn hockey team. Choosing Nova over other white Australian champions to carry the flame has been perceived like a symbol of national reconciliation before the Games.

Nova has now dedicated her energy to athletics, more particularly the 200 and 400 m races where she will come up against another celebrated Aborigines runner, Cathy Freeman, one of the favourites for the podium. But Nova has good chances in the 4 x 400m relay. Should she make it, she would be the first athlete to win in two different disciplines.