VIS scholarship holder Carla Krizanic and her Australian Women’s Lawn Bowls Fours team broke a 4398-day Commonwealth Games gold medal drought for the nation when they defeated South Africa in the final at Broadbeach Bowls Club on the Gold Coast.
Known as the Jackaroos, they trailed the game early but fought their way back into the match with a final score of 18-16 - the first win by any Australian team or individual lawn bowler at a Commonwealth Games since 2006.
Seventy-two hours after breaking the 12-year hoodoo, the Aussie women walked away with a second gold by dominating Scotland in the Women’s Triples. Krizanic reflects on her experience on the Gold Coast;
“My Commonwealth Games experience was like living in a bubble of joy for two weeks. Whilst I competed in the Glasgow Games in 2014, the Gold Coast Games was a whole experience on a new level and well beyond what I imagined. I continually reminded myself to not get caught up in any performance expectations and to just enjoy the ride, and that I did!
Credit to how successful and enjoyable the Games experience was goes to the beautiful people that make up our lawn bowls team (Jackaroos) from support staff to players – it was one big happy family.
To be a part of the Jackaroos is to be a part of a family full of very different personalities - even conflicting personalities - but a family that truly respects each other, their differences and contributions to the team. I was so proud to be a part of this team and have two shiny gold medals beside me as a reminder of what a team can achieve when they are in it together.
My bubble of joy was completed by knowing that my family were in the stands enjoying the success as much as me, as most would know our families tend to do all the sacrificing, so to see them lapping up the experience as much as me was beyond words.”
