Anastasia Marinakou is one heck of a gutsy athlete.

She had it made for her in Greece, in 2015 she was named one of the country’s top athletes having smashed three national track records.

But the lack of competition in Greece was making it difficult for her to improve even further and like all champions Anastasia wasn’t content with the comfort zone.

Late last year Anastasia risked everything leaving her friends and family to move down under where she barely knew the language. The transition to her new life in Australia wasn’t easy but her motivation to succeed was second to none.

“My heroes are my parents who have stood beside me throughout my journey.”

Only a few months later and things are on the up for the adopted Greek/Aussie. Anastasia is training with Nic Bideau, the Australian coach behind Cathy Freeman’s famous Olympic gold. And these days she is also starring alongside Usain Bolt in the revolutionary Nitro Athletics series.

In this episode, we chat to the young star about her 2020 Olympic plans, her life in Australia and we even get a taste of her new Australian accent.

Additional Information

Episode Length: 3:44 minutes

Sport: Athletics

Producer: Michael Lynch

Executive Producer: Edris Toussaint

Production Company: More Than A Game Productions

Published on February 10, 2017