As a Bond University student Lanihei Connolly frequently writes essays that will have a significant bearing on her academic and professional future.
But it was a paper she submitted as an eight-year-old primary school student that set her on the path to the Paris Olympics.
The Bachelor of Biomedical Science student is one of six swimmers from Bond selected to compete at the Olympics where she will represent The Cook Islands in the 100m breaststroke.
Connolly was star struck when her cousin Zachary Payne represented The Cook Islands at the 2012 London Olympics.
But it wasn’t until she had to put her thoughts down on paper that the idea of devoting her life to following in his footsteps took shape.
“I am just so excited to be going to the Olympics,” she said.
“I remember watching Zach when I was young, I think I was in year two or three at school, and we had to write an essay about our favourite Olympian.
“I came home and I was begging mum and dad, ‘can I write about him, can I write about him’.
“That had a major impact on me.
“I just hope my other family members and other kids in The Cook Islands look at this experience and think it is really cool and get inspired to take up their own sport. “
The 18-year-old has been training at Bond University since December 2023 under head coach Chris Mooney.
In Mooney, who has coached swimmers at two Olympics, she found a mentor who not only inspired her to find her best performances but was able to communicate the adjustments needed to make the gains that saw her qualify for the Games.
And in the lanes beside her each morning were fellow aspiring Bull Shark Olympians pushing her every stroke.
The move to the Gold Coast, on a World Aquatics (WA) scholarship, paid immediate dividends as she produced some personal best times in the pool.
“The Olympics were always a goal in the back of my mind, but first and foremost was to do some PBs because 2023 wasn’t the greatest year of swimming for me,” she said.
“So, to come here and do some best times so early in February was really good. I was really happy with that.
“The change of scenery helped, new feedback and perspectives from the coaches was important and so were some really good training partners.
“In Paris my goal is to do best times and break my national records and make the Cook Islands proud and then continue on to keep improving.
“I feel like there is no substitute for experience and I’m lucky to get this experience in my first Olympic Games and it will really help me in LA in 2028.”
While the team of Mooney, Director of Swimming Kyle Samuelson and coach Zander Hey and the Bond facilities were a drawcard for the other WA scholarship recipients, the opportunity for an education was a significant factor for the Connolly family.
“Swimming in Australia is really great. There’s so many gold medallists and great facilities and everything,” she said.
“But my parents were very excited to hear that I could study at the same time as swim, because it is important to have something when your swimming career finishes.
“It was really a no-brainer. They knew I really wanted to continue swimming and there is no better place for it, so they were really supportive.’’
Syrian Omar Abbass, the other World Aquatics athlete to make the Paris games where he will contest the 200m freestyle, also made quick improvements in the Bond program.
The 25-year-old was at a World Aquatics base in Thailand when he got the word Bond University had signed an agreement with WA to be their Australian base.
“I had to search about Bond because I didn’t know, so I wanted some information. And when I saw the coaches and the team, I was so excited,” he said.
“I had a meeting with World Aquatics, and they hinted I might be able to move to Bond and that was the most amazing news. I was so excited because I knew that would be so good for me.
“This is really another level to where I have trained before. This is an Olympic level program, and it was such a great opportunity.
“It is not easy getting used to new coaches and new programs, it always takes time, but with these coaches it was a lot easier than I expected,” he said.