FACTOIDS
Full Name: Allana Slater
Nickname: Allana
Birthday: April 3, 1984
Height: 5’1”
Hometown: Mt Claremont, WA
Sports: Gymnastics
Profile
Allana Slater was the 16th-placed all-rounder in the women's artistic gymnastics at the Sydney Olympics, and goes into her second Games as Australia's star hope.
At 20, she's the veteran of the Australian squad but despite dominating at domestic level, Slater remains a decidedly outside prospect for medals in Athens.
Slater took her first faltering steps in the sport at the age of 16 months, when a childhood illness led a doctor to recommend gymnastics as a way of improving her balance and coordination.
From those humble beginnings her talent was quickly identified and, as soon as she was old enough, she progressed to a talent squad.
Slater's first overseas gymnastics trip came in 1997 when she was included on a tour of the United States.
Tragically while she was in the US that year her father Clive was killed in a plane crash in Indonesia. Unsurprisingly she once said that the worst thing about travelling was the plane journey.
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur she won a team gold medal and silvers in both the all-around and floor competitions.
She placed ninth in the all-around category at the 1999 World Championships before competing in Sydney, where she was part of the Australian team which took seventh place.
The Manchester Commonwealth Games saw her claim gold in the team and vault events, silver in the uneven bars and beam, and bronze in the all-around category.
That achievement was all the more remarkable given the fact that she had spent part of 2001 recovering from a torn back ligament and surgery to both ankles.
Last year's form provided encouraging pointers ahead of the Olympics for the Perth-based gymnast.
At the Australian Championships she took gold in the all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor events, and was third in the team and beam disciplines.
