The Olympics and beyond

St Peters Springfield recently welcomed back Mollie O’Callaghan from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She was enthusiastically received by staff and students from Prep—Year 12 with a Guard of Honour and a visual display of the Aussie ‘Green and Gold’! Mollie then participated in a Q & A session with secondary students, sharing her recent experience with the College.

MAI THATCHER | Springfield Marketing & Events Officer

At just 17 years old, Mollie was the youngest member of the Australian Olympic Team. All her hard work, dedication, perseverance, and countless hours spent training culminated in her outstanding performance at the Olympics. Mollie returned as an Olympian, able to use the letters ‘OLY’ post-nominally and as a member of the most successful Australian Olympic Swim Team ever. A winner of two Gold medals and a Bronze medal, the third fastest Australian female Freestyle swimmer over 200m ever and, the Junior World Record holder in the 200m Freestyle.

For the team at St Peters Springfield, we are not only proud of Mollie’s many achievements in the pool, but also how she has represented herself outside the pool despite the immense pressure and expectations of competing on an international stage. Mollie remains humble and shows gratitude and appreciation for the wider network of family, friends, coaches and teachers that have helped her to live her dreams. This is all while studying to achieve her QCE and an ATAR qualification.

Her competitive Swimming career started at the age of seven. Mollie had watched her older sister compete but had no real interest in Swimming herself until she was presented with the opportunity to participate in a 25m race. During her first competitive swim her father walked alongside her down the edge of the pool, not knowing if she could swim the distance. Mollie recalls, “At the start, I did not like Swimming. But once I competed my first race, I fell in love. It’s the racing aspect I enjoy the most.”

It was after this first race and through extensive support from her parents and commitment by Mollie that her inherent talent has been able to develop in a sport that she loves.

“Anything is possible if you just put the work into it. I train hard and am always constantly trying to improve so I can see how far I can go in Swimming for the future.”

The training is no easy feat. Mollie attends up to nine training sessions per week, with each session ranging from two to three hours. Her commitment to training is not the only attribute to her success in the pool but it is also her mindset. Mollie’s mindset means that when she’s on the block and about to start a race her primary focus is to beat her own Personal Best.

Mollie is an inspiration to all in our College community. While we may not all be bound for the Olympics, we can nonetheless aspire to have the strength of character, a quality she possesses, to make most of the opportunities before us and pursue the goals and dreams we have and hold.

We would like to also acknowledge the guidance and professional support of Mollie’s St Peters Western Swim Club coaches, Dean Boxall and Maxine Sear, in addition to Jeremy Lohe (St Peters Springfield, Head of Sport) and the wider teaching team at Springfield for supporting Mollie on her journey to date.

With so many achievements under her belt already and with the Plus Ultra mindset, we’re sure Mollie will have many more accomplishments in the future. The College is behind you and cheering you on!