Travis Mahoney was 10 years old during the Sydney Olympics. He remembers watching as the Australian men's relay team beat the USA for the first time in that event, setting a new world record.
It was then a fire was sparked that would fuel his drive to one day join them.
"As a young kid watching your heroes on TV winning gold for Australia, it was the pride you saw in their faces, and it was then that I said, 'I want to do that I want to represent Australia at the Olympics'," he said.
And next month he will.
Early in his career, Mahoney considered himself a backstroker but the 25-year-old found his niche in one of the sports most gruelling events - the 400 metre individual medley.
Source: SBS
"It's a tough event to train for and to race," he said. "I had my heart set on backstroke but 400m ended up being my calling and once I started to own that race internally I saw huge improvements."
Capping off a breakout year, Mahoney recorded a personal best of just under 4 minutes-15 seconds to qualify for Rio, dedicating the win to his aunt who, in the face a cancer diagnosis, refused to give up.
"She said 'no, I'm going to live as long as I can', " he said. "Whenever training was tough I thought of her and how tough she was and would she give up."
The 400m individual medley is a test not just of endurance but also the skills pertaining to each stroke, meaning the workload for athletes like Mahoney is significant.
Australian Olympic swim coach Rohan Taylor said the training schedule for a medley athlete is set out in months, not weeks.
"It's an ongoing balancing act, but there's definitely more work needs to be done and you need room to add things in to make sure you tick all those boxes," he said.
Before the Olympics begins in August, the swim team heads to the United States to make sure all boxes are ticked to get Mahoney to a final in Rio.
"If he can swim his best that should put him in line for a final," Taylor said. "That would be a great outcome that we'd be happy with and if you get in a final it's up to who brings their A-game on the day."
And Mahoney is ready to bring it.
"It's a long way to go, you have to make the final, but once you're in the final anything can happen," he said. "You've got a lane just like everyone else does and you've got the same chance to race and get on that podium."
