HAYLIE POWELL, REFLECTS BACK ON HER MAIDEN OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
18-year-old skating sensation, Haylie Powell, reflects back on her maiden Olympic experience
Fresh off the back of an Olympic debut in Paris, the Mooloola Valley teenager already has her eyes set on LA 2028.
Initially an active surfer in Coolum Board Riders, Powell began to hone her skate skills at the Coolum skate park in between surfs, and attributes her incredible sporting journey, to the welcoming Sunny Coast skate community, “No matter what age, whether your 5 or 25, the sport is so welcoming.”
While the skate facilities in Australia are still evolving, as compared to Europe and the U.S, Haylie’s parents took matters in their own hands building a backyard skate ramp for daily training. This quickly became the ultimate hub for not only honing skillsets, but for fostering friendly rivalries and Aussie comradery.
These are the relationships that continue to push Haylie to stay focussed and strive to compete alongside her friends, “watching close mates compete in Tokyo 2020 from a hospital bed (post injury), made me realise how much it would mean for me to compete alongside them in the next Olympics”.
With fuel on the fire, in 2022, Powell really progressed in her career placing 18th and 19th in her third ever elite international contest in Rome. Just a year later she finished 14th and 10th, before going on to achieve the ultimate goal of qualifying for Paris 2024, a true testament to her hard work and dedication.
The Sunny Coast star was honoured to represent Australia in the recent Olympics, and to fulfill the dream of competing alongside her closest friends, “the biggest highlight of my skating career”.
Haylie was able to fully embrace the Olympic journey, drawing inspiration from all athletes, “I was rooming with the springboard and platform divers, and one of the beach volleyball girls, so learning about their sports, how they’ve had to overcome their fears and their Olympic qualification, was awesome to listen to.”
Contending with the ‘post-Olympic comedown’ (often associated with such adrenaline inducing experience), after returning home the high achiever took on a mentoring role in Melbourne at a 12 and under camp. Not only was Haylie honoured with the opportunity to inspire and educate Australia’s next gen, she says that exposure to the youthful spirit reignited her drive to get back to training and aim for LA 2028, “witnessing the kids be so excited to skate and be there to provide them support was really beneficial for me too.”
Powell is now training in the gym three times a week at the Ocean Performance Centre, skating as much as possible, and has assumed a coaching role for young Sunny Coast skaters.
With the skating schedule for the next Olympic Cycle yet to be released, Haylie is patiently waiting to find details of where when she will begin her campaign towards LA 2028, but confirms she will be “giving it 100%”
Connect with Haylie via her Instagram @hayliepowell_
Article written by Sophie McCulloch
Created November 11, 2024
Photos provided by hayliepowell_