A Commonwealth games bronze medalist in Glasgow, the man who goes by the ominous and unexplained nickname of 'The Snake' will now get his shot at Olympic glory.
Born in Geelong, 23-year-old Jake Benstead is preparing make his Olympic judo debut at Rio after winning the 73kg weight division of both the 2015 and 2016 Oceania Championships.
"I'm not one of the most technical, but I've gotten around that by working harder than (other) people," he said.
"If I can work harder, I'll be stronger. I'll be fitter. I might not be as technical as them, but I can outwork them."
Coach Dennis Iverson said Benstead's work ethic that will get him through.
"Jake just has the determination for his build he's a very strong athlete for his build, especially mentally - he doesn't give up, he just keeps going," he said.
"Things might not come naturally to him but he just keeps on going and going."
Source: SBS
This determination set him on an Olympic path while still in high school.
His father, Paul, said Jake decided early that he wanted to be an Olympian.
"I sat down with Jake when he was 16 or 17 and said: 'What do you want out of judo?' And he said, 'I want to go to the Olympics'. So we started a plan then to get him there."
Australia is taking its youngest ever judo team to Rio, after a number of high profile retirements and the emergence of new talent.
It's a been a 50-year medal drought in the men's competition, but coach Dennis Iverson said anything can happen at the Olympics.
"The biggest thing is that if you can make it through one or two rounds and make it to the quarterfinals, you're then fighting for a medal. There's no pressure on Jake at all which is one big asset."
The underdog status one that Bensted is very happy with.
"No one expects the Australians to be on the podium, so that's one of our biggest advantages. All the other guys are expected to beat us, the pressure is on them."
Source: SBS
The round trip to Rio is too expensive for his biggest fan, but Paul Bensted is determined not to miss his son's biggest moment.
"We'll be sitting in front of the TV again watching and praying he can achieve his goals."
