What does going to the Olympics mean for you? It means that all the hard work and sacrifices that my family and I have made have paid off. It has been a long road not just for me but for my mum and dad who have also sacrificed so much and also my boyfriend Dan who put his own dreams on hold to help me achieve mine. I am so grateful to be able to give back to them by competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games and it's great for them to know that their sacrifics also have paid off. It means the world!

How did you feel when you made the team? I was relieved! It still feels very surreal. I had always imagined what it would be like when I would receive the phone call to say that I will be representing Australia at the Olympic Games and there is no way I could of prepared for it. I felt like I could breathe again.

What are you looking forward to most about London? Racing! I can not wait until race day. To put on my aussie uniform, pin on my numbers, make sure all my dreads are tucked in so they don't fall out, slip on my shoes and get out there and compete. It will definitely be the proudest moment of my sporting career

Beki Lee's Sport for Women profile
Beki Lee's Australian Olympic Team profile

Basic rules and jargon buster

Running

The running and walking disciplines are staged over events ranging from 100m to 50km.

Besides the marathon and race walk events which are held on the road, the running will take place on a 400m oval track inside London’s Olympic stadium where the finish line is at the end of the ‘home straight’.

While the majority of races are on the flat, the hurdles and steeplechase competitions require athletes to jump over obstacles as they race it out to the finish line.

Anchor: The last runner in a relay race.

Sprint: Technically defined as a race of 400m or under.

Heat: An early race of an event, where the top finishers (usually the top three or four, plus fastest losers) advance to the finals or semi-finals of the competition.

Jumping

In long jump, athletes sprint down a runway before propelling themselves as far as possible into a sand pit.

Triple jump is similar in form, although competitors have to complete a hop and a step before completing the jump.

For the high jump, the object is to leap over a bar that is then raised with each successful attempt. Three attempts are possible at every stage and the winner is the athlete who arches over the bar at the greatest height.

And finally the Pole vault adheres to the same rules, but here competitors must use a long, flexible pole to launch themselves higher into the air.

Fosbury flop: A style of high-jumping – named after the man who perfected it, American Dick Fosbury, where the athlete clears the bar facing upwards and lands with his or her back on the mat.

Take-off board: The board long and triple jumpers jump sprint towards and jump from.

Box: A three sided box where vaulters plant their poles as they attempt to clear the bar.

Throwing

The throws are divided into javelin, shot put, discus and hammer and the athletes are given six attempts to throw the object as far as possible into a field.

Rhythm: The flow of the athlete while progressing through the motion of throwing.

Orbit: The path of the object thrown.

Throwing circle: The circle that athletes must not exit while attempting a discuss or hammer throw.