06 June 2024
London 2012 medallist Olivia Price had been retired from sailing for five years when, during a socially distanced walk during the COVID-19 pandemic, family friend Evie Haseldine asked her to help her win Olympic gold.
Fast forward three years and the pair are getting ready to try and make that dream reality after qualifying for Paris 2024 in the 49ers.
“It's been my dream ever since I watched Olivia in 2012,” Haseldine said.
“So, since I was nine I knew that one day I wanted to go to the Olympic Games and to now have that become a reality, I honestly feel quite privileged.
“I feel honoured to be to be in this position and to be in it with Oliva and [coach] Victor. So, it's pretty cool and I honestly can't wait to go sailing in Lausanne in July.”
The close friends share their journey to Paris in Episode 3 of the AIS Win Well Podcast, a series that highlights how Australia’s Olympians and Paralympians are winning well both in sport and in life.
From winning with integrity, finding a sense of belonging and connection in sport, overcoming failure and adversity, the joy of achieving the incredible, and what it means to be an inspiration to Australians, The Win Well Podcast is a unique opportunity to really get to know the athletes who proudly wear the green and gold on the world stage.
When asked by Haseldine about what winning well in Paris would look like to her, Price said: “One thing that we're both going to be really proud of is that we've been through an incredible journey in the last two and a half years, one we both probably didn't expect in different ways.
“To be able to still walk away, regardless of the result, knowing that we've put everything we can into it, and we've been as dedicated as we can be, and Evie and I are the best of friends. We've lived in each other's pockets, even though there's an age gap between us and we'll still be as close as we have because we've gone through this incredible journey.
“So I think if at the end of it all, if that's what we get out of it then I'm pretty damn happy.”
Hosted by two-time Olympian Melissa Breen, The Win Well Podcast is produced by the AIS, one of the 51 organisations who has made the Win Well Pledge through Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy.
To learn more about HP 2032+ Strategy and Australian sport’s united vision to ‘win well and inspire Australians’, visit www.winwell2032.au
The Win Well Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts.