Taliqua Clancy (beach volleyball) is the first indigenous Australian to compete in beach volleyball at the Commonwealth Games, and will be determined to improve on her silver on the Gold Coast in 2018, as she continues to build a successful partnership with Mariafe Artacho del Solar in Birmingham. Growing up in the rural Queensland town of Kingaroy – over 200km away from the nearest beach – volleyball seemed an unlikely path for Taliqua. However, the Wulli Wulli-Goreng Goreng woman has gone on to become one of the world’s best, winning the world junior title with Artacho del Solar in 2012 before teaming up with Louise Bawden, the pair rising to no.5 in the world rankings.  She and Bawden reached the quarter-finals in Rio 2016 where she was the first indigenous Australian to compete at the Olympics in beach volleyball. Clancy and Artacho del Solar reunited in 2017 after Bawden retired. The pair made it all the way to the final match before losing to the highly ranked Canadians at the 2018 Games, before gaining some revenge at Tokyo 2020, knocking the no.1 world ranked Canadians out in the quarters. However, the Americans proved to be too strong in the final, with the Australian pair taking silver, enabling Clancy to become the 10th indigenous Australian to claim an Olympic medal. Clancy’s match day ritual has her wearing her trademark visor, even if she and Mariafe are playing at night.