Barkindji woman Shantelle Thompson has set a Commonwealth Games gold medal as her goal after switching sports to Brazilian martial arts.
Shantelle Thomson, a Barkindji Woman, has been appointed a sports ambassador for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The 33 year old is intent on leading by example to show the next generation around her what is possible.
She is aiming for no less than the gold medal in Brazilian Wrestling at the upcoming Commonwealth Games. She’s also got an Olympic title in her sights.
Shantelle Thomson says she draws her strength and her determination from her upbringing. As a fair-skinned Indigenous woman, she has always had to be a fighter.
She was the second oldest of 17 children and helped raise some of her younger siblings. She says her country in the far west of New South Wales is where she feels most at home, a region that inspired her competition nickname of "Barkindji Warrior".
She came to the sport late in life, starting in martial arts in 2011 as a way to cope with postnatal depression after giving birth to twins.
Shantelle Thompson hopes to inspire other women of multicultural background. To achieve this goal she is joining forces with a new organization, Multicultural Women in Sport, to help others overcome barriers to participating in sport.
