Community & Business
17 March, 2026
Olympic medallist visits Biddeston
2024 Olympic BMX freestyle bronze medallist Natalya Diehm visited Biddeston State School recently as part of the Olympics Unleashed program.
Natalya spoke to the students about her journey in BMX from growing up in Boyne Island near Gladstone, to competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris.
The multi-time national champion said she was first given a bike by her parents at the age of 8 and developed her skills until at the age of 15.
She became the second girl in Australia to do a backflip.
In 2019, Natalya went professional, finishing 6th at the World Championships.
The top 6 finish qualified her for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the sport of BMX freestyle made its first appearance.
Natalya spoke to the Biddeston students about the value of resilience in her journey - she has broken four bones, torn ten ligaments and undergone eight surgeries.
She said one of her toughest periods was an 18 month lay-off between the Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Games, where half of her preparation time was lost due to injury.
Through that period, she learned the value of the mantra ‘Control the Controllables’ - in other words, don’t worry about what other people are doing but focus on yourself.
In 2024, Natalya finished in 3rd spot in Paris, holding on for bronze over her friend and former World champion Hannah Roberts from the United States of America.
Her bronze medal has a piece of iron from the original Eiffel Tower in it, taken from when the world icon was undergoing renovations.
Infamously, several of the Paris medals discoloured within weeks of the Games finishing and Natalya’s is one of the worst examples.
Instead of getting a replacement, she’s held onto the medal, as that’s the one she won and has meaning to her.
Natalya told the students about the importance of overcoming fear, resilience, and trusting in yourself to achieve your goals in life, sporting or non-sporting.
After the talk, the school students asked Natalya questions such as whether NRL was in the Olympics (Answer - no, but Rugby 7s is), how many scars she has (short answer - a lot), how her friend Hannah felt missing out on a medal (Disappointed, but gave her a hug), and whether she has broken a bike (no, but she has broken bits and pieces).
Each Biddeston student was handed a signed ‘goal card’ to take home, which they were encouraged to fill out with an aim, how they will achieve it and who will support them along the way.
