Congratulations to Year 12 student, Olivia Nigido-Scott who has qualified to represent Victoria in her 11^th Australian Track and Field Championships, to be held in Sydney, later this month. As preparation for the upcoming nationals in Sydney, Olivia recently competed at the South Australian and Victorian state championships, securing a silver in the under 20 discus and two bronze medals in the under 20 hammer throw.

Earlier in the season, at 17 years of age, Olivia threw an Under 23 national qualifier in the hammer throw. In her first season throwing a four-kilogram hammer (under 18 women throw three kilograms), and with another year competing in the under 20 age group, Olivia is looking forward to improving on her recent performances. Along with the hammer, Olivia has competed at national championships in discus, shot put and javelin.

When asked what sparked her interest in hammer throw originally, Olivia shares, “swinging a cable with a 4-kilogram steel ball attached to it, in a sweeping circular motion, requires the grace of a dancer, the explosive power of a jumper and the speed of a runner, as well as a fair dose of courage. What attracted my twelve-year-old self to the hammer throw? I can only assume it was that.”

Olivia competing at an Australian Track and Field Championship

To date, Olivia has represented St Catherine’s at GSV Track and Field Championships (six gold, one bronze) having broken four shot put records. She has regularly stood on the podium at All Schools Track and Field State Championships for hammer, shot put and discus events and won the shot put event for St Catherine’s Nitro team at state level. At Nationals, she has competed for the School in hammer, shot put and javelin. In her most recent competition, she placed second in the shot put for the team and narrowly missed the podium in the hammer throw.

An all-rounder, Olivia has been an avid supporter of GSV events throughout her time at St Catherine’s. A GSV Swimming finalist, she has also played Soccer, Netball, Softball and Cricket, and enjoyed training with Diving, Water Polo, online Badminton and online Run Group squads. Prior to coming to St Catherine’s she also competed twice in the Victorian Interschool skiing Championships in alpine slalom and skier cross. As Captain of the Softball Team this year, as well as Track and Field Co-Captain and a coach (at South Melbourne Little Athletics), Olivia enjoys engaging people in sport, “As a coach and an athlete, I encourage people of all ages and ability to engage in sport – in particular, athletics, as it is one of the most inclusive sports that I know.

“As Track and Field Co-Captain, I believe that we have an incredible pool of talent, some still undiscovered! The great thing about athletics is the breadth of choice – there’s something for everyone. You can run, jump, or throw and if that doesn’t appeal to you, you can walk!”

Currently tracked at an international level by World Athletics, Olivia says athletics has opened many doors for her, “I have travelled to places that I had previously never heard of, met characters and champions, taken part in The Recruit, an AFL reality television series and appeared on the Today Show, as well as featuring in a number of advertisements promoting track and field.”

Along with her success in athletics, Olivia is also a published author, having a short story published in the anthology, The Adas, a homage to pioneer author, Ada Cambridge. She was also shortlisted in The Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition (from entrants across Australia) in 2021. In addition to her sports and creative writing pursuits, Olivia is designing a range of sustainable clothing for teenage girls as part of her VCE Product, Design and Technology portfolio.

We wish Olivia every success in all her passions!