‘Your siblings don't define you': These twins took their own singular directions
Everyone used to just see us as 'the twins', which invites comparisons, and I think Gem found that hard. As teenagers, our older sister, Sunday, was a world-class trampolinist, and I was a national-level runner, and I remember people at family events going: 'Sunday, that's amazing!' and 'Claudia, how cool!' and 'Gem, what are you up to?' That's why any time she's on stage, I'm so proud because I know how nerve-wracking it is to put yourself in front of people and perform. Whenever Gem gets up and sings, I always cry because now everyone else is seeing what I've seen for so long.
Gemma: When Claudy found her love for running in primary school, we were both competitive. I'd win one race, then she would, then I would. It was always this thing – 'Which twin's gonna win?' – but I don't like running, so I dropped it while she took it to another level. When it came to choosing between studying and training, Claudy always chose training. She used to muck around and say, 'Chill out! It's just school.' She was never overly stressed, and such a socialite. Everyone loved her.
Claudy can tell you her running schedule a week ahead, down to the hour, but with anything else, she's so disorganised. She loses things constantly – Airpods, make-up, shoes – and don't give her anything because you'll never get it back. She's messy, too. She won't clean until it's just a pile, like a bomb's gone off.
We've probably only had one big fight. We used to skate to school and, one day, Claudy didn't bring her skateboard. I was excited to go down this big hill and she took my skateboard and went down it! I was filthy. I screamed at her, and she jumped off and hid for the rest of the walk home. I was so worried, crying, and she jumped out of the bushes to scare me and saw my tears, and she started bawling, too. It was ridiculous and over in five minutes.
We both did club footy, playing Interleague, and then for the Sandringham Dragons [an AFLW feeder team], but she knew she wanted to run. I didn't get to choose. When I was 17, I snapped my ACL and MCL and couldn't walk. I remember standing outside our home in my knee brace, crying, and Claudy hugging me.
Claudy is an amazing athlete, but the pressure she puts on herself can be overwhelming, and so for her to have someone who's separate from that – not a teammate, coach or parent – is probably special; it's someone she can vent and unload with. Every time she races, I'm super-nervous. It's almost like I'm ready to run.
I was so proud of her at the 2024 National Championships in Adelaide. That moment had been building for so long and to come flying through and cross the line first – the best 800-metre runner in Australia – I just died.
Loading
There were moments, being in that box with high-achieving sisters, where you feel like you have to match these people performing on the world stage. That's why I tried so many things – I had this need to put my fingers in every pie – but your siblings don't define you. You can find your own way.
When we shared a room, I used to run 'Gemma's singing school', where Claudy was my student and I'd get her to follow me, so she's always been my No. 1 supporter. Whenever I'm unsure of something I'm performing, or a new song I've written, I always sing it for Claudy first. I love the way it makes her smile.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Courier-Mail
4 days ago
- Courier-Mail
Watch: AFLW star Mua Laloifi gets surprise Justin Bieber Instagram follow
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFLW. Followed categories will be added to My News. Imagine waking up and the biggest pop star on the planet followed you on Instagram. That was the reality for AFLW Bulldogs defender Mua Laloifi when she checked her notifications to see that @lilbieber had become her latest follower. Lilbeiber aka Justin Bieber aka the global pop star and generational heart-throb of every millennial. The Bulldogs star became one of the 890 accounts that Bieber follows - joining the exclusive A-list group including the likes of Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton and superstar Beyonce - after she reposted a club video of her choosing the musician's new song 'Go Baby' to feature on her training video - and tagged Bieber. Justin Bieber now follows Mua Laloif. Picture: IG Mua Laloifi Bieber shocked the AFLW star with the surprise follow. Picture: Kevin Mazur/VF23/WireImage for Vanity Fair To her - and everyone's- surprise, Laloifi's 3.1k Instagram account made it through the thousands of tags and notifications and caught Bieber's eye. Could the megastar be AFLW bound? Laloifi could be the one to make it happen, with the DM's well and truly open between the two. 'I was like, I'm gonna shoot my shot here and send him a message that if he and his family ever have a holiday in Australia and they want to see an AFLW game to let us know,' she told 'And he hearted it! He liked my message!' HOW DID IT PLAY OUT? WATCH THE VIDEO Originally published as Watch: How global pop star Justin Bieber followed AFLW star Mua Laloifi

Mercury
4 days ago
- Mercury
Watch: AFLW star Mua Laloifi gets surprise Justin Bieber Instagram follow
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFLW. Followed categories will be added to My News. Imagine waking up and the biggest pop star on the planet followed you on Instagram. That was the reality for AFLW Bulldogs defender Mua Laloifi when she checked her notifications to see that @lilbieber had become her latest follower. Lilbeiber aka Justin Bieber aka the global pop star and generational heart-throb of every millennial. The Bulldogs star became one of the 890 accounts that Bieber follows - joining the exclusive A-list group including the likes of Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton and superstar Beyonce - after she reposted a club video of her choosing the musician's new song 'Go Baby' to feature on her training video - and tagged Bieber. Justin Bieber now follows Mua Laloif. Picture: IG Mua Laloifi Bieber shocked the AFLW star with the surprise follow. Picture: Kevin Mazur/VF23/WireImage for Vanity Fair To her - and everyone's- surprise, Laloifi's 3.1k Instagram account made it through the thousands of tags and notifications and caught Bieber's eye. Could the megastar be AFLW bound? Laloifi could be the one to make it happen, with the DM's well and truly open between the two. 'I was like, I'm gonna shoot my shot here and send him a message that if he and his family ever have a holiday in Australia and they want to see an AFLW game to let us know,' she told 'And he hearted it! He liked my message!' HOW DID IT PLAY OUT? WATCH THE VIDEO Originally published as Watch: How global pop star Justin Bieber followed AFLW star Mua Laloifi

News.com.au
4 days ago
- News.com.au
Watch: How global pop star Justin Bieber followed AFLW star Mua Laloifi
Imagine waking up and the biggest pop star on the planet followed you on Instagram. That was the reality for AFLW Bulldogs defender Mua Laloifi when she checked her notifications to see that @lilbieber had become her latest follower. Lilbeiber aka Justin Bieber aka the global pop star and generational heart-throb of every millennial. The Bulldogs star became one of the 890 accounts that Bieber follows - joining the exclusive A-list group including the likes of Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton and superstar Beyonce - after she reposted a club video of her choosing the musician's new song 'Go Baby' to feature on her training video - and tagged Bieber. To her - and everyone's- surprise, Laloifi's 3.1k Instagram account made it through the thousands of tags and notifications and caught Bieber's eye. Could the megastar be AFLW bound? Laloifi could be the one to make it happen, with the DM's well and truly open between the two. 'I was like, I'm gonna shoot my shot here and send him a message that if he and his family ever have a holiday in Australia and they want to see an AFLW game to let us know,' she told 'And he hearted it! He liked my message!'