Australian sprinter Riley Day funded her Olympics journey by working at a supermarket.
Credits: @_rileyday / Instagram
Riley Day, a 21-year-old Australian Olympian, arrived at Tokyo for the Olympic Games with no corporate sponsors to fund her expenses. So, how did she pay for her stay at the Japanese capital?
As 9GAG reports, the aspiring athlete spent three years working at Woolworths Supermarkets, saving up for the Olympics. And it was all worth it, as she beat her own record, scoring a new personal-best time of 22.94 seconds in the 200-meters race!
Credits: Woolworths Supermarkets
Although she didn’t win a medal, as she finished fourth behind Jamaican star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Day was overjoyed by her Olympic experience. In a post-race interview with Channel 7, the young sprinter said:
“Holy sh*t. That was a much better race than this morning. I’ve got my groove. Now I hope it’s the fastest heat so I can get in the final. Because that is a massive PB. That’s awesome.
I want to be the best and nothing is going to stop me from being the best!”
Credits: @_rileyday / Instagram
Woolworths Supermarkets, where the athlete worked to save money for the Tokyo 2020 Games, posted a touching message on their LinkedIn page:
“Our very own team member, Riley Day, is proudly representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics… Riley is an adored team member of our Beaudesert store in regional Queensland and is known for going the extra mile for our customers…
When the ambitious 21-year-old, nicknamed the “Beaudesert Bullet” is not replenishing stock or helping our customers, she’s working tirelessly on the track, training for at least three hours a day, six days a week.
We’re proud to see one of our team members represent Australia on the world stage. Good luck Riley, we can’t wait to see you on the track!”
