Himeka Onoda will channel her Japanese roots and dedicate an Olympics debut to her late mother as Australia prepares to send its largest gymnastics contingent to a Games in 57 years.
The rhythmic gymnast is one of 11 first-timers on the Australian team heading to Tokyo this month.
Emily Whitehead, Tyson Bull and Georgia Godwin will compete in artistic, Lidiia Lakovleva in rhythmic individual, Emily Abbott, Alexandra Aristoteli, Alannah Matthews, Onoda and Felicity White make up the rhythmic team while Dominic Clarke and Jessica Pickering will fly on the trampoline.
Onoda's mother died last year, the Games' 12-month delay depriving her of a chance to see her daughter on the biggest stage.
"My number one supporter who was always there for me and helped me work towards the Olympics was my beautiful mum," the 23-year-old said.
"I unfortunately lost her last year, so these Games are very much a part of my thank you from me to her for all of the thousands of selfless hours she spent supporting me with my sporting endeavours.
"My whole family is from Japan, which makes these Games even more special."
Teammate Abbott had two hip surgeries in 2018 and took 18 months to fully recover but said the "last two years have been the best of her life" as she pushed for a Games berth.
"In year five, I went as an Olympic gymnast to Book Week, even though you are supposed to go as your favourite book character," she said.
"I cannot describe how over the moon and how much my heart is beaming to live out what I have wanted and have worked so hard for."
The team's Games push comes on the back of a review into Australian gymnastics that found the sport's culture enabled physical, sexual and emotional abuse in the sport.
Gymnastics Australia has apologised to athletes and promised to act on the report, completed by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
