A Jewish Australian has accomplished a feat not seen in over 50 years by securing two bronze medals in Paris’s Olympic Games.

Jemima Montag’s rise to fame began on August 1st when she clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 20km race walk. The victory was a personal triumph for the Jewish athlete, fulfilling her dream of standing on an Olympic podium.

“This feels amazing. I was in fifth at about 15km and I wasn’t even sure if I wanted it or not. But I took that risk to go into bronze and I made it,” Montag told the Guardian at the time.

“I could see the medal in my head and I was like, ‘It is OK, I do not really want it’. And then I just heard my coach, ‘Get back on’. When I started trying, people responded so well and I knew I could hold this.”

Just six days later, Montag competed in the Olympic mixed marathon race walk relay. The event, a new addition to the Olympic games, saw teams of two alternating legs of approximately 10km each on a 1km street circuit around the iconic Eiffel Tower.

Despite the physical and mental challenges of competing so soon after her individual event, Montag delivered a stellar performance along with teammate Rhydian Cowley. She recorded the fastest time among all female competitors, showcasing her exceptional skill and endurance.

Montag’s efforts were crucial in securing the bronze medal for Australia. During her legs, she managed to turn a 23-second deficit into a tie for first place and later propelled the team from fourth to third position. In the final stretch, she narrowed the gap with second-place Ecuador from 32 seconds to just 16 at the finish line.

“I had to tap into one of my values of teamwork and gratitude. We’ve been training together for as long as I can remember,” she said. “In all the laps that were hard, I just had to tell myself to do it for Cowley.”

The 26-year-old’s double bronze medal achievement makes her the first Australian field athlete to win two medals at the same Olympic Games since Raelene Boyle in 1972. She joins an elite group of only five Australian women to accomplish this feat in Olympic history.