Post by Griffith University

With 1.3 seconds left on the clock at Sydney 2000, Yvette Higgins slotted the match-winning goal — and Naomi McCarthy OLY stood on the dais with a gold medal around her neck, years of fighting for that moment finally behind her. Today, McCarthy is still fighting for athletes. As director of Griffith Sports College, she has helped build a world-class high-performance environment that supported 24 Olympic medals at Paris 2024. This year, Griffith became the first university in the world to recognise Olympians through academic credit 🏅 "There are so many unbelievable skills that come from elite sport," she says. "We're recognising the skills that elite athletes bring and how they translate into the tertiary environment." With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, she's focused on what comes next — for the city, for Griffith, and for the next generation of athletes.