Olympic and world high jump champion Nicola Olyslagers will share her inspiring story at a special event at Living Waters Hope Central Church on May 11.
Olyslagers (nee McDermott) became the first Australian woman in history to clear the elusive 2m barrier in the high jump, achieving the feat at the 2021 Australian Track and Field Championships.
After raising the national record to 2.01m in Europe, she went on to win a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a new personal best and national record of 2.02m.
This was the first Australian Olympic medal gained in this event since 1964.
More recently Olyslagers won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a jump of 2m.
But the biggest challenge she faced was learning how to see herself as more than an athlete.
She had put so much pressure on herself growing up to ‘make it’ as an athlete, she lost her values and identity in the process.
This would break her when she under-performed.
When Olyslagers faced this, she accepted who God says she is, rather than allowing her performance to determine her value.
She then started jumping in freedom and began surpassing the sporting goals she’d set for herself.
Olyslagers became a Christian while attending a youth camp at the age of 16 and now prays before every attempt at the bar.
She says she jumps with “joy for Jesus”.
She said there was a moment in 2017, while spending time with Christian athletes, when she realised the peace and freedom she was experiencing in sport through faith was completely radical and countercultural.
She decided that the gospel was too good not to share in her athletic community, and simultaneously the same conviction came to her best friend, Naa.
From a simple phone call, Everlasting Crowns began with the mission to encourage, empower and equip athletes to transform culture through the love of Jesus.
Olyslagers says her aim is to: revive faith in the God who fulfils promises; carry testimonies that break off fear in following Jesus; and share the gift of a public life surrendered to the call of God.
She said the opportunity to minister transcended denomination, language and cultural barriers.
Join Nicola Olyslagers at Living Waters Hope Central Church, 4/8 Stockyard Pl, West Gosford, at 10am on Sunday, May 11 to hear more on her athletic achievements, her walk with Jesus, Everlasting Crowns and her ministry.
For more information, phone Janet on 0419 257 030.
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