Nicola McDermott (athletics) has gone from strength to strength since winning bronze at her Commonwealth Games debut on the Gold Coast in 2018, becoming the first Australian woman to clear 2.00m at the national championships in April 2021, and then claiming Olympic silver in Tokyo with a leap of 2.02m, another Australian record. McDermott, who was among the athletes present at the Sydney Cricket Ground as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay visit in March, believes eclipsing the Commonwealth Games record of 1.96m in Birmingham is “very achievable”. Coached by Matt Horsnell since she was 10, the pair first met at Little Athletics on the NSW Central Coast. Nicola has a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry) from Sydney University. She is also a passionate Christian and the Biblical passage “fearless hearts are birthed in perfect love” is written on her left wrist. She married Rhys Olyslagers in April 2022, whom she met at youth group in 2013.