I have lived by the beach my entire life, which naturally led me to Surf Life Savings. When I was six, my parents signed me up at Warilla Barrack Point Surf Life Savings Club. At the time, I was already into surfing, but the more I got involved in Surf Club, the more I fell in love with it.

I started as a nipper and didn’t compete seriously until the under-10s, but by the end of the under-12 season I had decided Surf Club and swimming was the sport I wanted to focus on.  I had experienced a great year of racing with good results in swimming and on the board.

However, halfway in the under-13 season during the Christmas holidays, everything changed. I had a freak accident whilst surfing in Indonesia at the Mentawai Islands. The accident ruled me out competitively for that season. I had to relearn how to walk and go through multiple physio sessions each week as part of my recovery.

As tough as that period was, I’m grateful for it—it taught me resilience,  just how much I loved this sport and how badly I wanted to be back competing and be the best. That adversity shaped my approach to training and racing, instilling in me a mindset of always giving 110%.

My goal would definitely be to win the iron series not once but multiple times. The people that I have around me including my family, friends and coaches have been a big part of my success with achieving my goals. Through them they have all shown me winning happens when no one is watching, it’s what happens behind closed doors.