Gina Galloway

Gina is a 17-year-old student of Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland that will be competing in Swimming at the Buenos Aires 2018 Olympic Youth Games.
 
Career highlight: Winning a Bronze medal in the 100m Backstroke at the VI Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas last year. I also won the NZ Open Title for the 100m Backstroke this year. 
 
How did you get into your sport? I can definitely say that I'm a water baby. Growing up I was always playing in our pool at home with my brother. In Year 4 at my very first School Swimming Sports, I noticed I really enjoyed winning the 25m Butterfly race and mum thought I should join a Swim club. I fell in love with competitive Swimming ever since that day.
 
What do you love about the sport? The thrill of racing! Diving into the water and pushing myself to the max is the best feeling. I love that I am always still learning new things in Swimming and knowing that there is still so much more to learn! Swimming also allows you to set goals to work towards every day and even exceed your expectations sometimes.
 
Who inspires you? My Nana, Ngaire Galloway. She went to the 1948 London Olympics representing NZL in Swimming. Growing up listening to her stories from her experiences and trips in Swimming and the friends she's made through the sport all over the world has been really inspiring for me.