GAF Athlete Series | Liz Clay 100m Olympic Hurdler

Tell us about yourself.

I am a 100m Hurdler originally from Sydney. I moved to the Gold Coast in 2016 to pursue a professional track career. I love training and competing but I also love basketball, graphic design, and music.

What first drew you to running?

My younger brother was doing little athletics and I was going every weekend to watch, one year I decided to join in and it went from there.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration and why?

I’m inspired by so many professionals in many different fields. Anyone who has come from humble beginnings and worked their way to the top through adversity is inspiring to me. That is the type of legacy id like to leave.

Tell us about your preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and your overall experience at the games?

It was an amazing experience. It was my first senior international championship and I had not much idea of what to expect. I loved meeting lots of athletes from different countries that I had followed on IG for years and who had inspired me. The whole Olympic journey from qualifying to the pre-camp to the village just felt like a dream - it was like being on autopilot it all went so fast. I was there with a lot of my friends who had also been working hard towards the Olympics for so many years. It was all very rewarding and a great learning experience for the future.

What is your favourite type of training and what are you most excited about with your new Freeform Manual Treadmill?

My favourite type of training is probably speed sessions on the track and any olympic lifting in the gym. We do a lot of our recovery running on the treadmill as it's great for working on technical elements of running without having to worry about speed or propelling yourself forward. The manual treadmill also puts your body in great positions for running and is good for fitness and ‘tempo sessions’.

What has been your most memorable race or moment from your career so far?

Winning Olympic trials in 2021. I was the favourite all season and had a breakout season, so that was the icing on the cake to get the ticket to Tokyo.

What advice would you give to any young female athletes aspiring to compete in the Olympics?

Respect the people who are trying to help get you there and be disciplined.

What's the greatest advice you've received?

The greatest advice I’ve ever received is that you are not your results and you are not your emotions. They both will go up and down and contribute to your story but they do not define you as a person.