The sixth instalment of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s exclusive series, The Untold Story, features Olympic diver and 2009 Scholarship Holder Anabelle Smith.
This is Anabelle’s Untold Story…
I grew up in a sporty household. My parents enrolled my brother, sister and I in all the sports and after school activities to keep us active. When we were at home, we were in the back yard kicking a footy, shooting hoops or riding bikes. I especially loved netball, soccer and little athletics, but was born with a natural acrobatic and aerial awareness and an innate competitive spirit. I loved bouncing on my trampoline and teaching myself skills, and was that kid that dreamt of going to the Olympics at 7 years old. I didn’t discover diving until I was 11 years old, and tried a session at my local pool. The coach saw I had some talent and begged my parents to sign me up to the club. I trained once a week, and loved the challenge, the adrenaline rush, and the new friends I met, who were just as energetic as me. Pretty quickly, it became clear that I had a knack for flipping off diving boards. I was selected into a Junior High Performance program at 14 years old, and my whole world changed. I trained 30 hours a week and balanced school with diving, whilst my family began to navigate the demands of elite sport.
I made my first World Junior Championships a year later and came home with 2 bronze medals, and a boost in motivation, seeing kids from across the world on the same mission as me. I had the best training group in Melbourne, and never found the commitment hard, because I loved spending 5 hours a day alongside my best friends. I feel so lucky to have had that experience as a teenager, and they are still some of my strongest friendships. I qualified for my first Commonwealth Games when I was in year 12, which proved crucial in my development as a diver. I was fearless and starry eyed, getting the opportunity to represent Australia next to some of my sporting idols. I competed in 3 different events and came home with a bronze medal. Having my whole school supporting me, and my family in the stands in India was an experience I’ll cherish forever.
After graduating, I relocated to Brisbane to train with our National program. I had been encouraged to move for a couple of years by the National coaches, but it wasn’t the right thing for my family, and my parents were set on me finishing school in Melbourne. I turned 18 and packed my bags, ready for the challenge, with my sights set on an Olympic debut. The next couple of years were an absolute whirlwind. So many highs and lows, and a lot of growing as a person. On one hand, I loved that time, because I was surrounded by world class athletes and some of my best friends who had also made the move to Brisbane. We shared experiences, good and bad, and always knew we had each other. On the other hand, it was really tough, and I had moments of real struggle, where I felt like I was losing myself as the confident, bubbly, resilient athlete I was known as. I missed home, felt isolated, and I didn’t possess the skills yet to navigate the stresses of that environment. However, I look back with gratitude knowing I came out the other side of that period armed with resilience and independence that will hold me in great stead for life.
I qualified for my first Olympic team in 2012. I still remember the official announcement, and in that moment everything was worth it. I felt relieved, mainly for the sacrifices my family had made, and was proud of myself for achieving my childhood goal. The Olympics in London were the time of my life. The event was so well run, and back then we still had the privileges of bringing family into the Village, going to lots of other events to cheer on fellow Aussies, and leaving the Village as we pleased. It was fairly low security and extreme high energy and endorphins for 2 weeks straight. We came 5th in 3m synchro and I have little memory of actually competing as I was over-awed by the whole experience!
Coming home I experienced my first post-Olympic ‘come-down’, which was real! Everything felt very mundane outside of the Olympic bubble! The next few years are a bit of a blur. I moved back and forth to Brisbane again, continued to compete at the major international competitions, but definitely struggled to feel like the best version of myself. I didn’t have great balance in my life, and put too much pressure on myself in the pool. Reflecting, I cared so much about the judgement from others and not letting people down, that it took over my own happiness. Being an elite athlete from a young age, I was super independent and during that time I didn’t realise that I needed some extra support. I thought I could navigate the struggles on my own, when in reality I couldn’t, and suffered quite a bit in silence. I still managed to get decent results, but I constantly doubted myself and grew a real fear of competing. I remember often thinking how I trained so many hours a week for the purpose of competing and then I’d get to a competition and absolutely hate it, so I questioned why I was wasting my time. Thankfully, I stuck with it, and slowly began to grow a support team around me who I trusted.
By 2016, I qualified for my second Olympics, and alongside my new synchro partner Maddi, won a Bronze medal. We had been on the podium plenty of times in the competitions leading into Rio, however the experience at the Olympics, at this stage in my career, was still so hard to prepare for. Anything can happen. The pressure and the enormity of the occasion is very hard to replicate. Standing on the podium in Rio, I was immensely proud, but more so relieved. Grateful that I had made it through so much internal struggle, so many difficult times when I wanted to quit, and when I thought I wasn’t good enough anymore. I learnt so much from this moment, about the power of resilience, experience and the mind. I hadn’t mastered any of that yet, but I’d had enough tastes for things to click. I vowed to continue to get better at my mental game and begin to tackle challenges with resolve and a growth mindset, rather than shame and fear.
The next few years, I really began to figure out and become comfortable with myself and my purpose. Thanks to the incredibly strong support team I’d developed, including my coaches, sports psychologist, dietician, physiotherapist and more, I slowly began to feel like my true self. I figured out the balance of life and diving, prioritised my wellbeing, and things just began to click. A highlight from this time was competing in front of a home crowd at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. An event I cherish, getting to dive with a lot of my biggest supporters (extended family, friends and support staff) cheering me on. Seeing videos of my Mum and my Grandma in tears as I won an individual medal, running into the stands afterwards and my friends dressed in green and gold was so special.
Fast forward to 2020 and lockdown hit. I had strong feelings going into the Tokyo Olympics that I was going to retire whether I made the team or not. I was content with my career, and felt ready to see what was waiting for me outside the diving pool. The postponement of the Games rocked me, as mentally I wasn’t sure if I could hold on another year. We battled plenty of hardship during this period. Notably, I had to sit in hotel quarantine for 2 weeks to relocate to Adelaide for unrestricted training and be isolated from my support team again, and then eventually, given our travel restrictions, we were unable to contest the Tokyo test event, hence unable to qualify Australia a quota spot for Women’s 3m synchro, so I was out of my main event. I eventually qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 3m individual, and it was a rewarding experience wearing the green and gold again. However, these Games were understandably different.
Sitting in hotel quarantine in Darwin for two weeks post Tokyo, I had ample time to reflect and think about what next. I had this overarching feeling that I actually wasn’t ready to be done yet. I still had more to give, and I wasn’t content with the disruptive couple of years over COVID being my last experiences in the diving world. So, I re-evaluated, moved back home again, started with a new coach and had Birmingham Commonwealth Games front of mind. Only one year away, and a burning desire for synchro redemption. Maddi and I made the team and got our gold medal. We had worked so hard over many years for that gold medal, and it felt extra rewarding given the Tokyo circumstances.
In December of 2022, I went on a life changing trip to Tanzania. Not only did I experience the incredible beauty of the African wildlife, but I spent time in communities of the happiest people who survived off the bare minimum. It is hard to describe the emotions of both. On the second last day of the safari, I unfortunately ruptured my achilles tendon. In the moment, I saw the end of my career, but I also had this intense wave of humility, respecting the environments I’d just lived in, and how I would be flying home to the best of the best level of care. I was going to be fine.
The next 12 months of rehab were equally challenging and rewarding. I put all my trust in my support team to give me the best chance to get back in the pool again. I learnt a lot of patience, and now have such an appreciation for the body’s ability to heal and recover. At the beginning, unable to weight bear post surgery and a long road ahead, I had so much doubt I would be able to return to the level of diving I was known for. However, to my own surprise, we made it, and by December 2023, I competed again, and qualified for the 2024 World Championships. Maddi and I went on to win silver at Worlds in February, and subsequently qualify Australia a 3m synchro quota spot for the Paris Olympic Games.
As I finish writing this story, I am incredibly proud of my career. I am so privileged to be so content with my journey and my achievements. I wouldn’t trade any of it. I have made lifelong friends, travelled the world, represented our amazing country, and found purpose and meaning in my life. I am also so excited about what comes next. I am confident in the skills I’ve gained as an athlete that will enable me to flourish outside of the pool and so ready for new challenges. But first, Paris!
