Jemima Montag

Jemima Montag
Personal information
Born (1998-02-15) 15 February 1998 (age 26)
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height159 cm (5 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight50 kg (110 lb)[1]
Sport
SportRacewalking
Event20 km walk
Coached byBrent Vallance
Achievements and titles
Personal best20 km walk: 1:27:09
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris 20 km walk
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Marathon walk relay
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest 20 km walk
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast 20 km walk
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham 10000 m walk

Jemima Montag (born 15 February 1998) is an Australian Olympic racewalker. She won the silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships, won bronze medals in the 20 km walk and the Marathon walk relay in the Paris 2024 Olympics, and is a two-time Commonwealth Games champion.[2]

Early and private life

Montag was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, and is Jewish.[3] Her parents are Ray (whose parents are Holocaust survivors) and Amanda Montag, who met at the 1989 Maccabiah Games in Israel, where Ray was competing in cricket and Amanda was competing in the heptathlon for Australia.[4] Montag's paternal grandmother, born Judyta Joachimsmann in the town of Wieliczka, Poland, was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the Auschwitz death march.[5][6] Montag plans to write a book about her grandmother's experiences.[6]

Montag is studying for a postgraduate medical degree and a Master of Public Health at medical school at the University of Melbourne, where she previously earned a Bachelor of Science.[4][7] She also works at a company that delivers food to underprivileged families,[8]

Career

Montag is coached by former racewalker Brent “CV” Vallance.[1]

Early years

Prior to her walking career, she studied ballet at the national theatre ballet school in st kilda, Victoria. Under the training of Beverly Jane Fry.

She began taking part in Little Athletics when she was seven,[9] encouraged by her mother, who was herself a hurdler. She was inspired by Cathy Freeman, as well as her contemporaries Regan Lamble and Steven Solomon.[1] A Jewish Australian, at age 15 was recognised for her wins at the state and national championships with the Australian 2013 Outstanding Jewish Junior Sportswoman of the Year Award.[3]

She made her first impact with a win in the under-20 section at the 2014 Oceania Race Walking Championships.[10] A global medal came later that May, as she placed twelfth in the 10 kilometres walk at the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup and shared in the team bronze with Clara Smith and Elizabeth Hosking.[11] She graduated high school from Wesley College in 2016.[9]

She was the Australian team’s flag bearer at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel, where she won a silver medal in the 10km race walk.[12]

2018–22; Commonwealth Games champion

Montag earned selection for Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games through a silver medal performance behind Beki Smith at the 2018 Australia and Oceania Race Walking Championships, setting a personal best of 1:31:26 hours in her second ever competitive outing over the 20 km distance.[13]

Montag was the gold medalist of the 20 kilometers race walk at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, at 20 years of age.[9] She had been leading alongside fellow Australian Claire Tallent, but was assured of the win when Tallent was disqualified in the final stage of the race.[14][15]

She came in sixth in the final of the Women's 20 km walk in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in a time of 1:30.39, at 23 years of age.[16]

Montag won the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, repeating in the 20 kilometers race walk.[17]

In March 2022 she was inducted into the Maccabi Victoria Hall of Fame.[18]

2023–present; World Championships silver medal

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Montag won the silver medal in the women's 20km walk, 25 seconds behind the winner.[19]

in May 2023, she received the UniSport Australia award for the most outstanding performance by a student-athlete.[20]

In February 2024, at the Oceania and Australian championships, Montag won the women’s 20km race in 1 hour, 27 minutes, and 9 seconds, breaking the Oceania and Australian record that she herself had set previously by 7 seconds.[21]

In April 2024 at the Maccabi Australia Sport Awards she was awarded the President’s Award and the Victorian outstanding sportswoman award.[22] In July 2024, she was ranked #3 in the world.[23] In preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics, she declared to an Australian-Jewish media outlet, she wanted to be best in the world.[24]

2024 Paris Olympics bronze medals

Montag represented Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in the Women's 20 kilometres walk on 1 August and the Mixed marathon walk relay on 3 August 2024.[25] She won the bronze medal in both events, and was the first Australian woman in 52 years to win two medals in track and field at the same Olympic Games.[26]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2014 Oceania Race Walking Championships Hobart, Australia 1st 10 km walk (junior) 47:00
World Race Walking Cup Taicang, China 12th 10 km walk (junior) 47:34
3rd Team 20 pts
2018 Oceania Race Walking Championships Adelaide Australia 2nd 20 km walk 1:31:26
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 1st 20 km walk 1:32:50
2019 Oceania Race Walking Championships Townsville, Australia 1st 10 km walk 43:50:84
Summer Universiade Naples, Italy 2nd 20 km walk 1:33:57
World Championships Doha, Qatar 10th 20 km walk 1:36:54
Australian 50 km Race Walking Championships[27] Melbourne, Australia 2nd 20 km walk 1:37:22[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jemima Montag. Commonwealth Games 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  2. ^ Snape, Jack (1 August 2024). "Jemima Montag scoops Olympic bronze for Australia on morning race walk in Paris". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Mac Vic honours top sports stars, volunteers".
  4. ^ a b ["https://www.heyalma.com/18-things-to-know-about-olympic-racewalker-jemima-montag/ "18 Things to Know About Olympic Racewalker Jemima Montag; The Australian Jewish athlete is set to compete in her first Olympic Games in Tokyo,"] Hey Alma.
  5. ^ "How an Olympian is driven by her nana’s strength," The Australian Jewish News.
  6. ^ a b "Jemima Montag inspired by late grandmother in 10,000m race walk win at Commonwealth Games," ABC.net.au.
  7. ^ "Montag eyes off maiden global medal, Browning fires up for historic semi final," Athletics Australia.
  8. ^ "Jemima Montag". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Website, Wesley College (January 2019) [9 April 2018]. "Going for Gold". Wesley website. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  10. ^ Montags amaze, Solomon sublime. JewishNews (2014-02-12). Retrieved on 2018-04-08.
  11. ^ BRONZE FOR GLORY. Athletics ACT (2014-05-04). Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  12. ^ "Montag’s moment: Teen qualifies for Commonwealth Games," Australian Jewish News.
  13. ^ Montag’s moment: Teen qualifies for Commonwealth Games. Jewish News (2018-02-15). Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  14. ^ Jemima Montag wins 20km walk; Claire Tallent disqualified. ESPN (2018-04-08). Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  15. ^ Gullan, Scott (2018-04-08). Claire Tallent disqualified while leading women’s 20km race walk, Jemima Montag claims gold. News.au. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  16. ^ "Athletics MONTAG Jemima - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". olympics.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  17. ^ "Walker Montag aims to inspire Australian athletics team," Magnet.
  18. ^ "New Maccabi Victoria Hall of Fame inductees," Australian Jewish News.
  19. ^ "Australian walker Jemima Montag claims silver medal at World Athletics Championships in Budapest". ABC Australia. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Birmingham 2022 walks gold medallist Montag among winners at UniSport Australia awards night"
  21. ^ "Montag sets new mark," Australian Jewish News.
  22. ^ "High-achieving athletes celebrated at awards; “The pivotal role that Maccabi has played in my development as an athlete is so special,” says Jemima Montag," Australian Jewish News.
  23. ^ "Paris Olympics Preview – Thursday August 1"
  24. ^ Baruch, Jono. "This time Jemima has the confidence to aim for glory - The Jewish Independent". thejewishindependent.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Montag eyes Olympic glory in first Athletics event of the Games," Olympics.com.
  26. ^ Jacob Gurvis (August 8, 2024). "All the Jewish Medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics,"
  27. ^ "2019 Australian 50km Race Walking Championships". Athletics Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  28. ^ "2018 Australian 50km Road Walking Championships Results" (PDF). Athletics Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2019.