Kyah Simon is one of two Aboriginal women heading to Rio this year with the Matildas.
Only seven Aboriginal women have represented Australia at an Olympic Games before and Simon said that watching Cathy Freeman win gold in 2000 had inspired her at a young age.
"It was a memorable moment that brought tears to my eyes and I'll never forget it," she said.
Simon is an undoubted star in the Matildas and led the scoring as Australia stormed its way through the Olympic qualifiers in Japan.
The 24-year-old scored a superb hat-trick against Vietnam and put the skids on South Korea with a goal inside the first 60 seconds.
Matildas coach Alen Stajcic couldn’t praise her highly enough:
"She's in the form of her life." he told SBS.
Kyah Simon at a recent coaching clinic she held with young players after she returned from Japan. Source: SBS
Simon said she hoped to use her own sporting prowess to ignite the passion in those to follow.
"I would like to think that I could make the same impact Cathy had on my life to other girls out there," she said.
And as Rio approaches, the Matildas are focusing their energy on winning a medal.
"We beat some of the best countries in Asia... we're going to Rio with a good chance of a medal," Simon said.
