Older sister Shaneez competed at the Commonwealth Games 10 years ago and now 19-year-old Naazmi is preparing to make her Olympic debut in Beijing.

“All my family has done gymnastics at one stage,” said Naazmi, one of five children.

“I started because my older sister was training and I’d just join in.”

Naazmi began training with her sister’s coaches Edith and Gina Peluso in 1996 and followed them when they moved from Sydney to take up coaching positions at Moreton Bay College at Wynnum West, at the start of 2006.

The shift north meant Naazmi had to leave her family and friends and settle into a new school for her Year 12 studies.

“It was a bit hard but it’s okay now,” Naazmi said.

“My mum moved from overseas when she was 16 so she could relate to it, so that was good, having her know how I felt.”

Her sacrifice paid off at the world championships last year when Naazmi finished above all other Oceanic competitors and won one of four wildcards to the Olympic Games.

“It’s pretty exciting. I never expected to be selected to represent Australia at such a big competition,” Naazmi said.

“At the last nationals I was ranked second so for me going to the world championships, I didn’t expect to improve my marks above the other girl.

“I think it was good not having any pressure – because I wasn’t coming in as the top-ranked Australian gymnast I was a bit less stressed about it.”

Naazmi, who won a bronze medal in a team event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, will compete against the world’s top 20 rhythmic gymnasts at the Olympics next month, performing hoop, ribbon, clubs and rope routines.

She spends up to 24 hours every week training at Moreton Bay College, but also manages to fit in a part-time banking and finance degree at QUT and a job at a coffee shop in Manly.

Despite being Australia’s only rhythmic gymnastics entrant Naazmi – who lives with a friend’s family at Manly – said she was feeling fairly relaxed about the whole thing.

“I don’t feel like I have pressure on myself. I’ve known my coaches since I started, I’ve been training with them for so long so I guess we have a good relationship in that way,” she said.

“Because I’m a wildcard I’m not expecting to beat the top 20 gymnasts, so probably to be at the top of the wildcards would be good.”