'Below the poverty line': Why Monique sold her car for a Paris dream

To win gold, she had to make sacrifices. So that's exactly what she did - walked away from a steady income at a 9-5 job and started selling T-shirts, raffle tickets and even her car to fund her Paris dream.

"People don't realise that a lot of us don't get paid, but not many people get to say they're an Olympian," Suraci said.

"I don't like not working. It's uncomfortable for me, but I'm a hard-headed person and knew I had to make sacrifices. I've dedicated my whole life to the Olympics, I'm not going there to participate. I want to win a medal.

"I've got a dream, and that dream is to be Australia's first female boxer to win a gold medal. And I hope I make everyone proud."

Suraci will become the first Australian woman to compete in the 51 kilogram division at an Olympics - the lightest weight category - and she wants to carve out a piece of history.

The pint-sized boxing dynamo is about to go from Queanbeyan to Paris next week as part of one of Australia's biggest teams in Olympic history.

There are so many stories like hers in the 460-strong team about to converge on the City of Love, many of them starting with nothing but a dream in small communities.

Sure, there are those who have high profiles and earn a living - Ariarne Titmus, Josh Giddey and Ellie Carpenter to name a few.

But the Olympics is really about people like Suraci. The battlers who put their lives on hold for a shot at glory on the world's biggest sporting stage, even if it comes at a massive personal cost.

An Australian Sports Foundation study published last year found that 46 per cent of Australia's elite athletes over the age of 18 earn just $23,000 per year, putting them below the poverty line.

Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins says that fact is extra reason to jump on board the Paris bandwagon.

"Our Olympians and Paralympians aren't paid professionals. Most of them have multiple jobs, or have had to quit to enable them to be in Paris to compete," Perkins said.

"The capacity to put food on the table and petrol in the car is still predominantly falling to families and communities around the athletes. So [Australians] should be incredibly proud of them.

"They're amazingly tough. They are amateur athletes in that sense of the word, and people we can all be incredibly proud of."

Suraci is unfazed by the financial rewards or lack thereof and she's at peace with letting go of her 2007 BMW.

"Because it's never been about money, it's been about passion and love," she said on the eve of her first Games.

"I sold my car because I didn't want to be in Paris worrying if it would start when I came home. One less headache. It is true, a lot of athletes are doing it tough and are below the poverty line.

"I live with my mum and she sees all the stress. My mum is the best, and I'm lucky I've got good support from sponsors.

"But I've paid my own way to a lot of events and I've always thought I want to get my money's worth. It's the same for the Olympics - and I want to win a medal.

"All the support I get motivates me. I want to go out there and show young girls and young athletes that anything is possible.

"I'm just a girl from Queanbeyan with a dream and I'm going out there to win a medal."

Suraci's dream started when she was six years old. By the time she was 15, she was watching the Rio Olympics at school and turned to a friend to say: "I'm going to be an Olympian one day".

Now 23, she has been selling supporter shirts and offering donated hair-care prizes for raffles to allow her to go to camps and competitions overseas.

Suraci said she wouldn't even be there without the support of generous people back home, like No Limit Group, who helped fund her training and preparation. Or Reset and Recovery in Fyshwick to keep her fresh, Alpha Fresh Foods and Gym Meals Direct to give her fuel and even her mechanic at National Automotive and Electrical chipped in, despite Suraci being sans car.

"I've put myself through so much pain and made sacrifices to do this. I was happy to do that, but I want to get the result to go with it not just for me but for everyone who has supported me," Suraci said.

"Sometimes you feel like a burden asking for sponsorship or help. We'd love to work or make money for ourselves, but it's hard. And the support network I've got, that drives me.

"I'm so grateful, I'm pinching myself. I can't believe we're about to be at the pinnacle - this is the greatest sporting event in the world. I've pushed my body to the limit, but I wouldn't do it any other way."