College Sport: 16 year old Olympian recalls great achievement

Monique Robins. Photo / File

Each week from now until the annual ASB YSPOTY awards function on November 28, we will profile past winners as we count down to the 25th annual event which honours the top young college sportspeople in the region

Monique Robins (Takapuna Grammar) 2000

Monique Robins was something of a shooting star who shone brightest at the age of just 16 in 2000.

As a backstroke and freestyle sprinter out of Takapuna Grammar, she was New Zealand's youngest Olympian at the time when she went to the Sydney Olympics.

"I look back on the year 2000 as what will probably be one of the greatest achievements of my life, sporting or otherwise. I was the youngest member of the New Zealand Olympic team and it certainly was a childhood dream realised," says the ex-swimmer, now Monique Pilley.

"I certainly recall the awards night at Eden Park. I was more than honoured to be chosen as the Auckland secondary schools sportswoman of the year for 2000 as there was some tough competition.

"Competing at the Sydney Olympics was certainly the highlight of my swimming career, however, there was definitely some other high points such as double gold medals at the 2000 Youth Olympic Games, also held in Sydney. Then two golds and a silver at the 2000 Oceania Championships, medallist at the Pan Pacific Championships and multiple Fina world cup events."

By age 18, Robins had hung up the togs to concentrate on her graphic design career. The 31-year-old now works as a senior graphic designer specialising in packaging and branding design at Auckland company Curious.

Dylan Schmidt (King's) 2014

Dylan Schmidt. Photo / Getty Images

Last year Dylan Schmidt was the third athlete out of King's to win the supreme ASB award.

It helped that he was the top trampolinist in the country, not just at schoolboy level, and he won a gold medal at the Youth Olympics, to add to his 2009 world Under 13 title.

Now 18 and studying commerce at the University of Auckland, Schmidt still competes for the Extreme Trampoline club, based in Onehunga. After a 15th place finish at the open world champs in Florida last year, Schmidt is eyeing a top eight berth at the November world champs in Denmark. That should ensure qualification for Rio, making him the first Kiwi trampolinist to crack the Olympics.

• Nominations for the 2015 ASB YSPOTY Awards are now open. They should be submitted by September 23. Further information is available on www.collegesport.co.nz