Liz Cambage is aiming to make her dream become reality after leading Australia to a gold-medal showdown with the United States at the Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain.
After a string of stand-out performances in Tenerife, Cambage delivered when it mattered most with 33 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks as the Opals defeated Spain 72-66 in the semi-finals.
Australia's gold medal-winning performance at the 2006 World Championships has been a driving force for the 27-year-old throughout her career.
Now she has the opportunity to emulate the achievements of her heroes.
"I grew up watching Penny Taylor and Lauren Jackson win that medal," Cambage said in an emotional post-match press conference.
"It's what we're chasing; it's what we dream of as little girls."
Cambage revealed that support from many former Opals stars, including the legendary Jackson, has helped fuel desire within the squad.
"To have Lauren Jackson sending me messages every day, letting me know that we can do this, it honestly means the world to me," she said
"If there's one thing I want to do for my country it's to bring home a gold medal."
Favourite to win the tournament MVP award, Cambage expressed relief after progressing to a major final for the first time with the Opals.
"Tonight I feel like I've lifted a bit of a weight off my shoulders," she said after being part of the squad that lost to the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals of the 2010 tournament before missing the 2014 event with an achilles injury.
"I'd felt like bad luck - I'd felt like a curse so to get that win tonight, when that siren went it was just relief."
Opals coach Sandy Brondello praised the character of her team, and star player, after overcoming a tough opponent in front of their home supporters to reach the decider.
"We are a young team but we have a superstar and Liz just continues to impress me," she said.
"She's a leader of this team, she loves these big moments.
"We were down by eight and it could have gone either way but we got it back together and really it starts with her."
Brondello knows her side faces a tough assignment against a US squad aiming for their third consecutive World Cup triumph but hopes her experience coaching the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA works in Australia's favour.
"The beauty about playing USA is I do know them very well," Brondello said, with Mercury stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner on the US roster.
"I know all their tendencies but knowing them and stopping them are two different things and we're going to need a team effort."
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