Albury's Clementine Maconachie and Beechworth's Emma George on Olympic heartbreak

But for some, competing on home soil in the biggest sporting event on the planet doesn't bring back the greatest memories.

The Sydney Games were hugely successful for a number of athletes hailing from the Border region, but it also produced its fair share of heartbreak.

Albury swimmer Clementine Maconachie (nee Stoney) missed the final of the 200m backstroke, finishing 13th, but was hoping to use the experience to fuel a second Olympic campaign.

"Pressure was something I had put on myself, I was also just a young first-time team member under the radar of media expectation," she said.

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A late bloomer by her own admission, Maconachie was forced into an early retirement in 2003, a year out from the Athens Games, after a severe case of post-viral fatigue.

"The 2004 Olympics was very much when I was due to be coming into my own," she said.

"I was a very late starter to the swim scene, I didn't start in a squad till I was 12, so it was really hard for me to get sick when I did.

"I never watched any of the 2004 Olympics.

"I had been swimming and training for quite some time with it but doctors had not picked it up, so eventually my body just shut down.

"I slept a lot and was not allowed to exercise for two years. I didn't have the energy to anyway.

"It was a frustrating time, but at the end of the day it was something I could get through and recover from, though it meant the end of my career.

"I learnt quickly about balance and how important that is in life."

Maconachie admitted she very much had to find her new place in life without swimming and landed a job in fashion in Sydney.

She met her now husband, Mark, and, after having three children, started her own creative agency five years ago which has kept her busy ever since.

Beechworth's Emma George held the women's pole vault world record on 12 occasions before her first and only Olympics in Sydney.

But timing certainly wasn't on her side.

George believed she was in career-best form as the 1996 Atlanta Games approached, but women's pole vault was not included on the program.

She then moved to Perth to begin preparations for the Sydney Olympics, but suffered a major fall at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain.

George managed to get herself fit for Sydney, but didn't qualify for the final and placed 15^th overall.

"When I look back it was probably one of the best parts of my life, but also one of the worst because I didn't do as well as I wanted to," she said.

"We didn't even get to march in the opening ceremony because we were still training in Perth and our coach said it was important to stick with our preparation.

"If ever my kids got to go, I would tell them performance is important but you really need to make the most of the experience."

George was soon back to jumping record heights and wanted redemption at Athens in 2004, but required career-ending back surgery.

The mother of three went on to work as a sports journalist for The West Australian and said the highlight was covering the lead up to the Athens Games.

Albury shooter Tim Lowndes didn't reach the 10m air rifle, 50m rifle prone or 50m rifle three positions finals in Sydney, but was inside the top 20 for the latter.

Lowndes went on to the 2004 Athens Games where he improved on his results from Sydney and claimed Commonwealth Games gold medals on two occasions.