Chris Erickson is preparing for his third Olympics, in the hopes of completing a journey started by his father.
Tim Erickson was a Commonwealth Games race walker who qualified for two Olympics but, due to boycotts and funding issues in the 70s and 80s, was never able to compete at an Olympics.
"I think it was a very special moment for both of us. It had been a driving point in my career to get myself to the Olympics so the Erickson name could finally be on the start sheet for an Olympics."
Chris Erickson qualified for his first Olympics in the 20 kilometre race walk in Beijing.
But midway through the event, it all went wrong.
He was disqualified for the first time in his career, for allegedly breaking contact with the ground.
"I can recall sitting in the bowels of the stadium in Beijing and bawling my eyes out because I had finally gotten to the Olympics and it had all gone completely and utterly wrong."
Qualifying again for the 20 kilometre event in London, he finished 35th but now he's hoping for redemption in the 50 kilometre in Brazil as both an athlete and coach.
Erickson mentored fellow athlete Brendon Reading to qualification and will now compete against him in Rio.
He says the pairing will be beneficial for Reading who won't have restricted access to his coach as many other athletes do.
"I'll be able to help him along the way and let him know what to expect when he gets there and almost hold his hand through the whole experience, if you like, so it'll be a fantastic experience for both of us I think."
While Chris Erickson says he's aiming for a top eight finish in Rio, with his fitness and preparations on track he admits he is entertaining dreams of standing on the podium.
"I'm not going to lie - I go to bed most nights thinking about having a medal around my neck and hearing the national anthem but having said that you have to get the work done so my main focus is getting myself is a physical position to challenge for top eight."
Coach Brent Vallance says Erickson's biggest competition are race walkers from Russia, if an IAAF doping ban is lifted in time for the country's athletics team to compete
"There are a trio of Russian athletes who are very strong, if they show up on the start line given their current ban at the moment."
One of those Russian athletes is London Olympic 50 kilometre gold medallist Sergey Kirdyapkin.
A decision is imminent on whether Kirdyapkin will be stripped of his 2012 honours, meaning Australian race walker Jared Tallent could win the country's first-ever gold medal in the event.
Vallance says it would be retribution for Tallent.
"There was a case to say they were running a systematic doping system even in the 2012 London Olympics, so you couldn't help but leave London knowing he was beaten by a drug cheat and that has since proven to have been with that athlete."
Erickson is still hoping to qualify for the 20 kilometre race in addition to the 50 kilometre, and double his chances of his first Olympic medal in Rio.
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