Beijing 2008 softball Olympic bronze medallist Justine Smethurst has had to wait 13 years for another shot at an Olympic appearance. Now, that opportunity is closer than ever with the pitcher landing in Japan last week with the 23-player Aussie Spirit Softball Australia squad.

The team were the very first international athletes from any country or sport to arrive in Japan ahead of this year's Tokyo Olympic Games, and their arrival was met with a flurry of international media attention as the team created history in Ota City. Smethurst shares what this experience has been like, and what the team's day-to-day life looks like in their unique bubble environment in Japan.

She relives her Olympic debut as the youngest member of the Softball Team that won bronze in 2008, and what she's been up to since then. She shares the significance of her sport returning to the Olympic programme in 2021, and her hopes and dreams for a second Games appearance in Tokyo.