MARINA CARRIER

At age 13, when my family and I lived in England for a year, I was introduced to modern pentathlon as "that running shooting stuff" that I must surely do as an Aussie. Despite never having heard of it, I fell head over heels in love with training for five such different events, and the physical and mental challenge that went with it. Within a year of picking it up, I had qualified for the British Youth Nationals in Triathlon (swim, run, shoot).

Upon returning to Sydney at the end of 2010, I took a break from pentathlon, as I thought it too difficult to pursue. Instead, I focussed on my studies and took part in a huge range of school sports, representing my school in Cross Country, Athletics, water-polo, swimming, hockey, soccer, tennis and triathlon. These experiences only deepened my innate love for the joys of sport, at any and every level.

At the end of Year 10, fate stepped in, and I was introduced back into modern pentathlon by London 2012 Olympian Ed Fernon, who happened to live around the corner from me, and had heard that I'd done the sport before. He encouraged me to try and qualify for the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games. After re-establishing my training, I qualified in year 12 as the first Australian female to do so, whilst concurrently juggling my final year in school to get the marks for my university course of choice- Medical Science at Sydney University.

Throughout the next 6 years, I progressed through the Junior/U21 levels, finishing ranked 7th in the world, became Senior Australian Champion twice, and went on to represent Australia in International Championships and World Cups at the Open/Senior level. In November 2019, 4 weeks off crutches from a stress fracture to my thigh, I competed in the Asia/Oceania trials for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Then finally, on the 7th of August 2021, 2 years after qualifying and and 21 years on from watching the Sydney Olympic Games as a four-year-old,  I finally found myself on the start line in Tokyo Stadium as a member of an historic Australian Olympic Team.

Through multiple injuries, a global pandemic, and humbling lessons in mental health, I could not have been more grateful to be able to put on that green and gold, and moreover to be backed by the friends, family and team that have cheered, hugged, and shared all the highs and dark, grinding lows of the journey so far. 

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