For a humble comprehensive school in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, Kirrawee High sure has produced its share of sporting champions.

There are Olympic athletes Alicia McCormack, Kirsten Thomson, Nicola Zaghe and Ashlee Ankudinoff, as well as professional ice hockey player Nathan Walker and two-time World Ironman Triathlon champion Chris McCormack.

But the story of the school’s most recent global champion, Saya Sakakibara, arguably trumps them all.

It’s a story the 2024 Olympic Games BMX gold medallist shared recently at her former school via her book ‘Just Go – Turning Fear into a Superpower’.

Following her big brother and eventual Kirrawee High School captain Kai into BMX as a four-year-old, Saya quickly became adept at the rough and tumble sport.

Supported on her journey throughout school, Saya and her brother went on to reach the pinnacle of the sport in Australia and looked set to represent their country at the Tokyo Olympics when tragedy struck.

In early 2020 Kai crashed at an event in Bathurst, sustaining a traumatic brain injury. It turned Saya’s world upside down.

Battling those demons, she competed at the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics, only to crash badly in a semi-final herself.

Toying with giving up the sport, she instead decided to take more responsibility for her efforts and become more of the leader that her brother was.

Three years on in Paris she became the first Australia woman to win a gold medal in the sport.

Talking to students at Kirrawee High School, she promoted the idea of resilience and persevering when things became difficult.

“It’s supposed to be hard,” she said.

“Because if it was easy, everyone would be a gold medallist.

“Whether it is school, or sport or whatever it is – whenever you have those moments of self-doubt, you just keep going.”

Head Teacher Mitchell Scott, who taught Saya, said he recognised a quietly determined student during her school days.

“She was always quite driven, but I guess I didn’t really know just how deep it ran,” he said.

“I saw someone who was always very disciplined. She was always very focused on staying on track with her learning and sport.”

He said the school continued to punch above its weight, attracting some of the best and brightest in the Shire.

“It’s been a bit of a nursery for Olympic athletes and athletes on the biggest stages here,” he said.

“It’s just who we are here. Students come and have that drive, they want to achieve in all facets.”