Olympic champ visits local communities

Having just capped off his fourth Olympic Games with a silver medal in London, Australian champion rower Drew Ginn visited more than 500 local school children in the Upper Hunter Valley, NSW.  Drew visited schools, community groups and coal mines, thanks to his role as an athlete ambassador for Rio Tinto, an official partner of the Australian Olympic Team.

The triple gold medallist shared his experiences about teamwork, overcoming obstacles and achieving goals with the local community. Drew's tour of the region included a stop at the Singleton Amateur Swimming Club, where he met some of the region's aspiring young athletes.

Club President Sonya Moore said they were stoked to have Drew attend their annual registration day. "I'm sure Drew has inspired a few more to get involved this time around after they got the chance to hear about his Olympic successes," said Sonya.

Drew also had lunch with local employees at Hunter Valley Operations and took a tour of the mine, which included the dragline and a ride in one of the site's massive 240-tonne haul trucks.

"I'm used to riding in something that weighs 60 kilos and barely sits above the water, so riding in a four-storey, 240-tonne truck was a great experience," said Drew.

Hunter Valley Operations General Manager Operations Tom Lukeman said employees were particularly keen to see the silver medal Drew won in London, given Rio Tinto was the exclusive provider of metal for the London Games.

"It's exciting to know that these medals have come from Rio Tinto's mines and they represent the hard work and efforts of our colleagues around the world," said Tom.

As part of partnership with the Australian Olympic Team Rio Tinto has been spreading the Olympic spirit in some of Australia's regional and remote mining communities through our athlete ambassador programme.

"We're so proud to be supporting the Australian Olympic Team and grateful to be able to share this experience with our local communities," said Tom.
 

Drew and Hunter Valley Operations Employees in front of one of the massive haul trucks