Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Sydney Olympics, beach volleyballer Natalie Cook is hoping budding athletes catch gold fever.
Cook and her partner Kerri Pottharst became an iconic image of the 2000 Games when they won a gold medal on Bondi Beach.
Part of the Olympics Unleashed Roadshow which salutes the Sydney Olympics, Cook says she remembers the event like it was yesterday.
"If I close my eyes I can imagine myself there. It was a massive stadium on Bondi Beach with 10,000 screaming fans and it was incredible," Cook told Brisbane schoolchildren on Monday.
"Aussies getting behind Aussies is really special. It really does lift you. There is nothing more special than a home Games."
Cook said she hoped the visit by herself and fellow Olympians Ji Wallace (trampoline), Anna Meares (cycling), Cate Campbell (swimming) and Lachlan Kennedy (athletics) would prove an inspiration for the next generation of athletes with the Brisbane Games looming in 2032.
"You see the sparkle in the young kids today who may have a chance to represent Australia at a home Games. It (Brisbane 2032) will change their lives. It will be aspirational.
"The kids here today are nine years old and all we're here to do is to inspire them to do a little bit better tomorrow than they thought they could, be the best versions of themselves.
"If you're lucky enough, in the right place at the right time you might be lucky enough to even win an Olympic medal."
