SKATING: Australind-raised Isabel McTigue is hard at work training to take on the World Artistic Roller Skating Championships in Spain.
McTigue started roller skating at the age of 10 and stopped when she was 15 to focus on her studies.
In 2012 she rediscovered her love of the sport and has been hard at work ever since.
“In 2002 my younger sister and I watched the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic figure skating events on TV and loved it,” she said.
“We had always loved roller blading, dancing and athletics so artistic roller skating seemed to be the perfect combination of these.
“We started classes at The Rink on weekends and before we knew it we were there six days a week.”
At 13 McTigue competed at her first national championships where she was selected to represent Australia at the Oceania championships. Then aged 15 she won her first national championship gold and a silver medal in New Zealand.
“I love the fact that skating is a high impact sport that combines fitness, strength and agility with grace and artistry,” she said.
Alongside her skating achievements McTigue is following her doctor mother’s footsteps by studying medicine and Spanish at the University of New South Wales.
“Growing up my mum was a country GP so I saw first-hand the difference that she made to the lives of residents in the rural community,” she said.
“Studying at the University of New South Wales rural clinical school has been a great start to my medical degree and they have been really supportive of both my academic and extracurricular endeavours.
“This opportunity has opened my eyes to the importance of regional healthcare in Australia and to the great challenges and rewards that come with it.”
At the national championships in 2013 McTigue won a gold medal and with it her ticket to Barcelona.
“This will be my first world championships and I can’t explain how excited I am,” she said.
“This year I have achieved one of my lifetime goals and skating is and will always play an important role in my life no matter where I end up.”