'Chefs' in Paris

The four weeks I spent in Paris over July/August as part of the leadership team with the Australian Olympic Committee was the privilege of my sporting career to date. My primary role involved completing a welcoming brief for all 467 athletes on the team alongside fellow Deputy Chef de Mission Kyle Vander-Kuyp. We completed this via a yarning circle, which is an Indigenous tradition and involved us sitting in a circle around a beautiful piece of Indigenous artwork by 2 x Olympic Boxer Brad Hore.

Yarning circles have long been used to share stories, safeguard beliefs and culture, and solve problems. They are a place where everyone is considered equal, and you can look each person in the eye and connect. Thanks to Kyle, the first Indigenous deputy chef de mission, I learned more about Indigenous Olympic history and was humbled by Kyle's approach. Kyle would share softly spoken yet incredible stories, and his ability to connect with all made him an extraordinary leader in the space.

I tried hard to connect specifically with each team I met, researching them, how many debutants were on the team, and what specific things teams were doing to prepare for the Games. For example, the Swimming Australia team was using Australia's 1983 America's Cup win and connecting to the Boxing Kangaroo as inspiration for their campaign and what a campaign they had.

I shared two stories in my welcome briefs—the first about my first Olympic experience when I was 12. My father took me to watch some Athletics at the Sydney 2000 Games, and whilst the sport was fantastic, what hooked me was when we were leaving the venue, and my dad lifted me onto his shoulders, and I couldn't see the ground. I could only see a sea of heads, and the energy amongst the crowd was unlike anything I had ever experienced - it was an energy I believe to be known as the Olympic Spirit. Fast forward 12 years, I debuted at the London Games, and again, whilst competing, it was terrific. I also won a medal, which was incredible. What stood out to me again was when I was walking to the Olympic Stadium to watch Usain Bolt run the 100m final, and I had to walk over a bridge to get to the stadium. As I crested the bridge and looked down, all I could see was a sea of heads again, and the energy among those people was the same energy I felt when I was 12 in Sydney. I felt this same energy in RIO despite going there as the P - reserve, and I felt the energy in Tokyo despite limited crowds due to COVID. I certainly felt it on the streets and stadiums of Paris. It is the Olympic Spirit, and I live for it. I felt that my varied Olympic experiences made me a great candidate to connect with our athletes, and I tried to convey this in my stories and to let them all know that whatever their experience was in Paris, there is a community among us all - we are human, and we believe in the Olympic spirit.

I shared the second story many times, but it was extraordinary to share it when I experienced it 12 years ago in London in 2012 with our Canoe Sprint team at their stunning chateau in Guermantes...

...It's August 2, 2012, around 6 pm, and I am sitting in the London Olympic Stadium in the marshalling area before riding for an Olympic Bronze medal. My Olympics will end in one 90-minute session, 6laps, three rides, and 1min 32s worth of work. And I am devastated. My dream of becoming Olympic Champion was all but squashed in such a short time and going in as favourites and three times world champions, the pressure I had been feeling to deliver both from myself, and others was so complex. My coach at the time, the late Gary West, could tell I was devastated, and he came up to me and said: I want you to look into the stands and read the signs that are all over the velodrome. They said: Inspire a generation. He told me: I want you to go out there and do this for that 12-year-old girl whose dream it was to be right here where you are right now, and I want you to do this for all the 12-year-old girls who are at home watching you right now...

...Somehow, this seemed to calm me. I went on to share my exact feelings, the process of getting up and clipping in and what it feels like to sit on the start line of an Olympic Games with the countdown going on. I finished with how, despite still feeling devastated at the end with the bronze, it didn't take me long to feel differently. After I received a standing ovation from the Olympian Services team or the media, or when I marched down the middle of George Street in Sydney waving to thousands of Australians. I still felt that same appreciation as P reserve in RIO and after finishing 9th in Tokyo despite having to change events eight months out, after again going in as favourites in the team event and my teammate retiring before the games and dealing with chronic low back pain.

Sports are a cruel and incredibly rewarding arena, just as is life. The lessons one can learn from sport are relatable to life, which is why people can resonate with sport and why sport is so important. It is also why sportspeople can make great leaders in whatever they pursue after their sporting careers. Since I have been involved in sports, I have seen myself grow into a better version of who I have the potential to be, and I am still learning and growing. This role as deputy chef de mission confirmed for me that I have the skills to lead a team and empower others to be the best versions of themselves - which is a crucial and integral part of my coaching and leadership philosophies and of which I have seen and experienced since I began coaching. This role has been such an essential part of my working life over the last 12 months as I battled with the grief of leaving a team I had helped grow in Great Britain and watching them in Paris win their destined Olympic Gold Medal, breaking the World Record three times to get it! The pride I have in those women and the team behind them simultaneously makes me feel delighted and sad. With my non-compete clause with Great Britain ending on August 12, I now have the freedom to coach a national team again, and whilst I have loved my role as a deputy, I know that I can have a significant impact as a coach. I am ready to deliver the vision I have after experiencing a fifth Olympic cycle, coaching on the other side of the world, completing my degree and finding myself in leadership positions.

As a former athlete, I recognised that a lot goes on behind the scenes to make something like the Olympics run smoothly. Still, you can only honestly know this if you see it from the other side, and most athletes never venture onto this side of the fence. What I saw from the AOC was something magical. Whether it was the baristas who made 800 coffees a day, the nutritionists who were up at the crack of dawn and seemed to be the last to bed, the Team's Services who ensured everyone had a bed to sleep in, the volunteers who helped change rooms at any given moment and solve problems, the OLY services team who are all so incredibly giving I just was in awe of them all, our media team who found ways to share the stories of all our Olympians whether medalist or not. I learned a lot from my fellow deputies, whether it was Mark Knowles energy that he consistently brought, Bronwen Knox OLY GAICD ability to remain calm under pressure or Kenny Wallace OAM ability to have a yarn with anyone. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to get to know you all. Our leader, Anna Meares OAM OLY , whilst I always knew she would do an excellent job, was so great. After a game of UNO or two to wind down, I enjoyed our conversations, discussing topics from whether we made the right decisions that day to asking how her kids were doing. This weird world that is sports, and why organisations seem stuck in old ways and being baffled by some and inspired by others. The AOC saw Anna's potential and gave her an opportunity, and with so few women holding essential roles within high-performance sports, it is refreshing to see an organisation truly support and endorse Anna not just because she is a woman, but because she is the best person for the role. I saw a culture of finding the best people for the right roles and creating environments for them to succeed within the AOC - outstanding leadership.

As the dust settles on Paris and we get ready to support our Paralympics Australia team, I want to thank those within the AOC for helping me on this journey over the last 12 months. As usual, there are too many to name, but I'd like to especially thank my partner Kevin and my family, who, while now holding a different role as I am no longer an athlete, are still my biggest cheerleaders.