News

Commonwealth walk champion Montag inspired by Holocaust-surviving grandmother

August 6, 2022 07:25 PM


Twitter Share Facebook Share WhatsApp Share

Australian race walker Jemima Montag says she draws on the strength of her late grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor, after winning her second Commonwealth Games gold medal on Saturday.

The 24-year-old wears a lucky gold bracelet, part of a piece of jewellery that belonged to her grandmother, Judith, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz and died before the Tokyo Olympics last year.

Montag eased to victory on Saturday in the 10,000 metres walk -- wiping tears from her eyes after crossing the line -- four years after she triumphed on the Gold Coast in the 20km walk.

“What I take from that is, in a race, it is one kilometre at a time and not thinking about the finish line," she said.

"She (her grandmother) teaches me to take one step at a time and it also puts things into perspective.

"Towards the end of the Holocaust they marched through snow and cold for days on end in little sandals and hardly any clothing.

"She and her sister took waistbands and tied their wrists together and said ’we are getting through this together or not at all'."

Montag and her two sisters, Piper and Amanda, all wear the golden bracelets, made from a necklace.

The science graduate, who works for a company that delivers meals to under-privileged families, says she researched her grandmother's life after she returned from the Tokyo Games.

"In the months after the Olympics, my aunty and I went through her love letters and had them translated by a Polish racewalker friend," said Montag.

"She had photos, passports and bracelets."

Montag said it was deeply humbling to learn of the daily horrors and privations her grandmother and family experienced under the Nazis.

"To uncover the amount of grit, perseverance and mindfulness and presence that they had to have," she said.

"In some letters and journal entries, she wrote about just trying to make it through the next hour and next day, and meet her dad at the gate with a piece of bread."

 

 



Most Read

  1. Punjab governor appoints Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Aziz as PPSC Chairman Punjab governor appoints Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Aziz as PPSC Chairman
  2. Reason behind Shruti Haasan and Santanu Hazarika's separation after 4 years Reason behind Shruti Haasan and Santanu Hazarika's separation after 4 years
  3. Life is too short for leaks, Yashma Gill’s latest video ignites criticism Life is too short for leaks, Yashma Gill’s latest video ignites criticism
  4. Parineeti Chopra's husband Raghav Chadha undergoes ‘dangerous’ eye surgery in UK Parineeti Chopra's husband Raghav Chadha undergoes ‘dangerous’ eye surgery in UK
  5. Are Aftab Iqbal and Kapil Sharma coming together? Are Aftab Iqbal and Kapil Sharma coming together?
  6. I wasn't meant to be here, Mahira Khan's response to viral moment with Arijit Singh I wasn't meant to be here, Mahira Khan's response to viral moment with Arijit Singh

Opinion

  1. PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan
    PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan

    By Naveed Aman Khan

  2. Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties
    Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties

    By Nasim Zehra

  3. PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls
    PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls

    By News Desk

  4. Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity
    Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity

    By News Desk

  5. Tax on solar energy: Govt's misplaced priorities favour powerful stakeholders over people welfare  
    Tax on solar energy: Govt's misplaced priorities favour powerful stakeholders over people welfare  

    By Manzoor Qadir

  6. Legacy of Indian military subjugation in Kashmir
    Legacy of Indian military subjugation in Kashmir

    By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai