Source : ABC NEWS
It is not often a dog is as accomplished as its owner on the sporting stage, but Para swimmer Jenna Jones’s Australian shepherd, Luna, is the exception.
“She’s my best friend. Honestly, we have the same personality, which is scary sometimes,” Jones told ABC Weekend Breakfast.
The duo competes in a sport called rally, where a handler and dog walk a course and are tested on obedience and agility. And like her owner, Luna is a gold medallist.
“It builds our bond together and we’re in talks of ambassadorship [as a] runway model for Luna, except she’s turning into a dog model,” Jones said.
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Whatever sporting glory awaits Luna, Jones still holds the upper hand, recently securing gold in the women’s 100 metre S13 freestyle at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, alongside bronze in the 50m freestyle.
It was her first major individual title, ten years after she made her international debut as a 15-year-old at the Rio Paralympics.
The Glasgow experience now has her hungry to taste more at this week’s Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in California.
“That was such an incredible experience, something I guess people only dream of and still riding the high of that definitely,” she said.
“And it definitely gives me so much confidence going into Pan Pacs.
“But the thing I think I’m looking forward to the most is, we have so many rookies on this team and I’m so excited to watch them all debut.”
Jones will be one of the senior members of the team at this week’s Para Pan Pacs in California.
Jones, originally from the Blue Mountains in NSW but now based on the Sunshine Coast, was diagnosed with a rare degenerative eye disease when she was in kindergarten.
“I’m so lucky that I got into sport at such a young age,” she said.
“It taught me how to move my body and showed me how to trust my body, which has given me so much confidence in myself, in turn has given me so much independence in my life.
“Being in this swimming environment, I’ve met so many incredible people that will be my best friends for the rest of my life and it’s opened me up to so many incredible opportunities like this.
“So I’m just so grateful for all of it and I love every second of it.”
The 25-year-old is currently studying for a diploma at university and hopes to eventually complete a counselling degree.
As a two-time Paralympian and one of the senior members of the team, she admitted it can be tough juggling study and her sporting career.
But when she reflects on her younger self breaking records in her first national championships, there is an overwhelming sense of pride.
“I think as an athlete it’s so common not to sit and smell the roses when you’re in your career,” she said.
“Thinking about little 13-year-old me breaking those records, she would be so proud of where I am today.”
