When Ellia Green gets knackered during the Olympic rugby sevens tournament, her solution will be close to hand.
The linchpin of Australia's women's rugby sevens team will have mum's name, Yolanta, written on her wrist during each contest at the Rio Games.
"Whenever I am feeling that my legs are burning, I just look down at my wrist and remind myself that my mum is a fighter": Ellia Green.Credit: Getty Images
"My mum has recently suffered illness from cancer," Green told reporters on Monday.
"And I have her name written on my wrist all the time when I am playing.
Going for gold: Ellia Green.Credit: Getty Images
"So whenever I am feeling that my legs are burning, I just look down at my wrist and remind myself that my mum is a fighter, so I'm going to fight as well."
The Fijian-born Green, rated the fastest female rugby sevens player in the world, said physical pain was her friend.
"I feel like if you're not in pain, you're not making any gains, to be honest," she said.
"If you're not hurting at training, I don't feel like you're trying hard enough."
Green and her rugby sevens teammates enter the Rio Games as gold medal favourites after being crowned 2015/16 World Series champions.
And the former track sprinter said just being an Olympian fulfilled a lifelong ambition.
"That was always the dream of mine since I was five-years-old," she said.
"I had a lot of Olympian sprinters like Usain Bolt up in my room, so it was something I always dreamed to hopefully one day achieve.
"To be here for rugby sevens is very unexpected but also a dream come true."
AAP