Hard work pays off for Commonwealth Games bronze-winning Hazel Ouwehand
Swimmer Hazel Ouwehand reflects on her journey to winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games after 20 years of training. As a non-funded athlete, she balanced elite swimming with a part-time career as an accountant to finance her pursuit.
Why it matters
Illustrates the financial challenges faced by elite athletes in non-mainstream sports and the personal sacrifices required to reach international podiums.
A misty-eyed Hazel Ouwehand has described the blood sweat and tears it has taken to get to the Commonwealth Games podium .
Featuring in her first Commonwealth Games final, Ouwehand delivered a superb bronze medal-winning swim in a frantic women's 50 metre butterfly final, touching the wall in 25.76 seconds behind Australia's Alex Perkins and South Africa's Erin Gallagher.
It was clear immediately after the race that the achievement hadn't quite sunk in.
"It feels like an empty ball bouncing around in [my head] at the moment, but give it a few minutes and it will sink in," she said when asked what was going through her mind after the race.
Later when she was standing on the podium, the achievement began to dawn on her,
An emotional Ouwehand said the feeling was "indescribable".
"It's 20 years of work that has gone into this medal.
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