If not for the Covid crisis, Skye Nicolson might already have been standing in this Shellharbour classroom, with an Olympic gold medal around her neck, inspiring the next generation.
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Instead, here she is, hitting the pads with trainer Nudge Mieli for a demonstration at Stella Maris, still chasing her dream.
Nicolson is a Queenslander, who grew up in a boxing family, but is using Mieli's training academy and expertise to launch towards the Tokyo Games, now delayed until next year.
"It's pretty crazy to think I would have already been and gone (to the Olympics) by now," Nicolson told the Mercury. "But having extra preparation and training time I'm not complaining about anyway.
"The athletes that qualified have remained qualified for Tokyo 2021, so it feels like the pressure is off that I don't have to go through that process anymore.
"I have more time to bring my best game for 2021."
She hasn't had a bout since March in Oman and so in between the relentless routine of training, Nicolson is pushing herself outside her comfort zone.
It's why she left her home in the first place, even with the uncertainty of when the Queensland borders would open again.
It's why she's standing in front of the room of pupils, talking about healthy lifestyles, dedication, passion and following your dreams.
"It's a very strange time," she said.
"Usually it's back-to-back tournaments all year round and I've been training at home for so long. That's another reason I came down here, just to get out of that home environment.
"It can become too comfortable when you're trying to prepare for a fight and for the Olympics especially."
Internationally, the sporting world has continued behind closed doors, or with limited crowd numbers to create the elite sporting atmosphere.
"And the unknown lingers about what the Tokyo Games will offer, though it is expected to go ahead.
The women's featherweight class begins on July 24, with Nicolson eyeing the medal rounds, the final to be held on August 3.
"Whether that's with crowds or in a bubble, we have just have to wait and see how strange it's going to be," she said.
"But it's the Olympics and it's just the person in the ring with me that matters."
Nicolson already knows all about winning gold, having claimed victory for Australia in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
And she has her sights on an Olympic medal.
"If I do everything right and have my preparation right, I can see myself being up there with the best in the world," she said.
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
