Q&A with Sarah Carli

Congratulations again for representing Oz at the Olympics. What was it like to arrive in Paris?   

It was so exciting! Track athletes arrive during the second week of the Games, so by the time we got there, everything was already in full swing. As soon as we walked inside, we felt the incredible energy of the Olympic Games atmosphere.

Also to see the Eiffel tower sparkling at night with the Olympic rings was just amazing!

What makes the Olympics different to other races?   

Before competing at any major event, athletes gather in a “Call Room” for marshalling before their race heat. Here, officials hand out lane numbers to pin on your hip, then you put on your spikes and confirm your identity with your accreditation. At big meets, the room is usually underneath the stadium, filled with a tense silence, except for the muffled rumbling of the crowd above and announcements from the officials like “5 minutes” or “2 minutes” until it’s time to head out.

Sitting (or often pacing) in this room alongside the athletes you’re about to race is always a surreal experience – not just in Paris, but at any competition. It’s just you and your thoughts, with the anticipation of what’s to come. It makes me nervous even writing about it!

At Paris, I had Sydney McLaughlin, the current Olympic champion and world record holder, in my first heat. Being in the same room, preparing to race against the world number one, made it even more surreal.

What was the atmosphere like on the track?

It’s hard to put into words the feeling of being in that stadium. I’ve competed in large stadiums before and attended other major sporting events, but Paris was on a whole different level. It truly was something special. The energy from the crowd was incredible, electric and so so loud, you could feel it through the track.

How did you celebrate afterwards?  

The track and field team watched the opening ceremony from our holding camp in Montpellier, in the south of France. Even though we couldn’t be in Paris, Athletics Australia did an amazing job of making us feel included in the celebrations.

I however, was in Paris for the closing ceremony. Highlights included walking into the stadium with all my teammates and pulling off a triple-person stack. After the ceremony, we returned to the Aussie Tower in the Olympic Village, where the team celebrated by singing (or rather, screaming) “Gimme Gimme Gimme” and, in true Aussie fashion, cheering on the beer “shoeys” (for the record, I did not do a shoey!).

What was the support like from back home?  

I’ve always felt fortunate to have so much support from those around me, but I didn’t realise just how far that extended until after I finished competing and got out of the Olympic bubble.

So many people back home made the effort to watch my race, and it’s a really nice feeling to know that people who wouldn’t usually be interested in the Olympics watched me compete. Even now, people are still telling me how exciting it was to watch my race – it’s a humbling experience.

It was also awesome to receive a bunch of (very entertaining) photos and videos of the HLB Wollongong team yelling their support, while dressed in green and gold.