Every four years people from every stretch of the globe come together to watch highly trained and skilled athletes compete for the title of being the best in the world. At the top of her game, Queanbeyan’s Monique Suraci will represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“I can’t believe it; I don’t think it will kick in until the opening ceremony. I am very excited, but I am staying driven and just focused on the goal; I don’t just want a tracksuit, I want a gold medal,” says Monique.

Representing Australia in Boxing, the 50kg fighter has been preparing for this since childhood. Making the team in her first official tryout, Monique wanted to try for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but an injury before the trial, followed by the pandemic, squashed any chance of making any other trials.

“I’ve had this dream for a very long time. I made a goal to qualify for the Olympics at 22 and I did that. I’m getting my ticket at 23, I am happy with that,” she says.

Every time the Games were televised, Monique was glued to the television. She says she enjoyed watching badminton, gymnastics and athletics but never missed the boxing. In July, Monique will be the one that people in homes, pubs and on phones watch compete. The number of fights Monique will compete in depends on the draw; she expects 4-6 for a gold medal.

“Every time I win a fight, go for a really hard run or have a really hard session and I’m just at that point where you want to give up, you just think about that gold medal and it pushes you over the line. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, an Olympic gold medal.”

If she were to leave without claiming that top spot, Monique would be happy she got there and proud of herself, but she wouldn’t be satisfied, her only goal is the gold.

Born in Canberra and raised in Queanbeyan, Monique first put the gloves on at six years old and trained for a few years before stepping into the ring for her first fight at ten. Her first training ground was PCYC in Erindale, until her coach left. Faced with transitioning to another training centre, Monique didn’t want to train with anyone else.

“I trained at home. I trained myself for a whole year and then I said to my mum, ‘I need a gym’,” she says.

When she was around 14, Monique found Stockade Training Centre in Fyshwick, where she remains today. Under the guidance of coach Garry Hamilton, Monique has refined her skills into the talented, ferocious athlete she is.

“He’s up in the morning for me, there at 4:30 every afternoon for me. If I say ‘I need to train earlier today Garry’ he’s there, if I need to train later, he’s there. He has put a lot of time and effort into my preparation for the Olympics,” she says.

Giving her coach all the praise in the world, Monique says Garry has definitely shaped her as a boxer.

“He doesn’t claim the success. I would be in a different boat without him, it might have taken me a bit longer to get here but I would have gotten here, I was always determined.”

Along with the support of her dedicated coach, Monique says she couldn’t have got this far without the backing of her friends and family. Boxing can be a lonely sport, but knowing they were also in her corner makes it an easier load to carry.

From a strict Italian household, Monique and her five sisters have always been close, she says most of them will be supporting her from the crowds with their parents.

“My family from Italy is probably coming to see me [compete] in Paris and then we’ll go back to Italy,” Monique says.

While in Paris, the Olympic teams have access to free transport. Monique says when they aren’t competing or supporting one another, they could go explore.

“But we’re there to fight and we’re there to compete so we might not want to, we’ll see. All the fun can be after we win.”

Between now and when they set off in July, Monique says there is a lot of hard work ahead, including multiple international camps and tournaments. She plans to face each challenge with the same unwavering determination and drive.

“We’re going to be traveling to America for a camp and then we come back and we go to the Netherlands and the UK. Then we come back to Australia and then we head off to Germany before Paris to settle into the heat and time zones.”

Along with a rigorous training regime, athletes in weighted categories have to keep a close eye on their weight, any fluctuation can see them disqualified.

“Combat sports where you have to be in a weight division, it’s extreme. You’ve got to train hard but you have to be fuelled to train and develop and grow. At the same time, you also have to make sure you’re on top of your weight,” says Monique.

One Olympic Games won’t be enough for Monique, she already has her sights on the 2028 LA Olympics. After celebrations and a rest time for her body to recuperate, Monique will be into training and getting back into competitions.

“We want to celebrate a bit and come back to work; we’ve got Nationals in December so you can’t let off too easy if you want to keep your spot.”

Monique’s advice for other budding athletes is to stay true to yourself, always, and to stay strong when things get hard.

“You’re gonna get the biggest highs and the lowest lows and if you can bounce back from those lows, you’ve got it. Don’t stop, there is always a high around the corner.”

Follow Monique Suraci on her Olympic journey; instagram.com/monique_suraci

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