The sky is the limit for 12-year-old rhythmic gymnast Emmanouela Frokou. She arrived in Australia with her parents and siblings in July 2016 and is already making us proud with her incredible performances not just Down Under but worldwide.
Within the first year of the Frokou family’s migration to Australia, Emmanouela managed to win first place at the Australian National Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships (2017), before climbing the ranks to become NSW State Champion in 2019. Not one to rest on her laurels, she is preparing to represent Australia at the Youth Olympic Games that will be held in 2022 in Dakar.
Emmanuela’s story, however, began from hardship. Her family migrated to Australia as a result of the financial crisis that started in Greece in late 2009.
“We didn’t want to leave (Greece), but after losing our business, our options were limited. I was already an Australian citizen due to my parents having migrated to Australia in the 1960’s, therefore we decided to give Australia a go,” says the young girl’s mother, Athanasia Delinicoli, whose is originally from the island of Lesvos.
The family sold everything and moved Down Under with hardly any money left in their pocket.
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The mother of three admits that the first year in Australia was not easy but both she and her husband Dritan knew that this was the best decision for their children’s future.
Emmanouela didn’t want to give up rhythmic gymnastics but at the same time, the gym membership fees were expensive, and her parents were unsure as to whether they would be in a financial position to cover the expenses.
Fortunately, after trialling for the squad team, the NSW team coaches who assessed the young girl, were so impressed with her talent and technical abilities that they decided to include her on the team and make special arrangements to facilitate this by taking into account the family’s financial difficulties.
“We couldn’t afford much and all of our income, including part of our Centrelink payments, went towards Emmanouela’s gym fees. We were not even able to accompany our daughter to the National Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition where she ended up winning her first gold medal in Australia. We watched the competition on national television,” Ms Delinicoli said.
Determined, focused and disciplined, Emmanouela who was recently recognised as International Development Athlete of the Year and was placed 1st overall at the 2019 State Championships, is slowly maturing and starting to make her own decisions about the path she wants to follow.
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Young Emmanouela and her proud parents.
Emmanouela at the Winter Cup Competition in Leverkuzen last year. Photo: Supplied
NSW Champion.
A kiss from her coach.
Emmanouela poses with her medals.
She is a member of the NSW team squad where she trains with coach Veronica Sologuren at the Le Ray Gymnastics Academy
(NSW) and also travels to Greece where she receives additional training from retired Greek individual rhythmic gymnast and coach and eight-time (2008-2016) Greek National All-around Champion, Varvara Filiou.
“I love coaching Emmanouela. She is an incredibly talented and disciplined young athlete. Her future in the sport looks bright. She is a real diamond and our job as her coaches is to bring her talent to the surface and support her along the way,” Ms Filiou says, and she often visits Australia in order to train the young girl.
The year 8 student attends Beverly Hills Girls High school where she also excels academically.
“I like school but rhythmic gymnastics is my life, my passion, my dream; my goal is to work hard so that I can make everyone proud here and in Greece,” adds Emmanouela who says she still misses the homeland, but her priority now is to train hard and slowly but steadily make her way to the top.
“I will never, ever give up. That I know!'” concludes the determined young girl.
Watch Emmanouela’s syrtaki routine here: