Olympian Edwards finds purpose in ‘giving back’

Kristie Edwards’s ability to hurl herself down a running track at breakneck speed has taken her to some of the world’s most exotic cities to compete in front of packed stadiums; the pursuit of her Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology took her to Cumberland Hospital, a public psychiatric facility based in Sydney’s western suburbs.

The 25-year-old New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete admits she accepted her 10-week (work experience) placement at Cumberland with a sense of trepidation, but by the time the Paris Olympian finished there she’d already started to reconsider her career plans.

“I was really nervous in the lead up to my placement,” said Edwards, who recently sat her final university exam for her Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology. “I wasn’t sure of what to expect, but I loved what I did there. I really enjoyed it.

“I felt as though I not only formed a close relationship with the patients, but I was also helping by just getting them out to do some exercise. For many it was the highlight of their day, so that made it a rewarding experience.

“And I never expected [mental health] to be an area I’d consider a career in. Being an athlete, I always equated a future as an exercise physiologist with high performance sport programs, but I found a tremendous sense of purpose came from working with the general population – especially those with chronic health conditions.

“So, I finished my placement thinking that was an area I could give back, as well as being one where it’d be possible to make a difference to peoples’ lives.”

Edwards, who overseas campaigning to be selected in the Australian women’s 4×100 m team for September’s 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, recalled the positive impact one particular patient’s progress made on her.

“You’d see some of the patients for only an hour a week,” she recalled. “But it was special to see the little changes they made to their daily habits because of what we were doing.

“One woman started going for walks every day, and that helped her overall outlook which, ultimately, aided how she responded to her treatment. By the time my placement finished she was getting ready to be discharged.

“Obviously a huge team works on rehab and treatment – and there’s many multidisciplinary treatments happening at the same time – but it meant a lot for me to think that exercise, which has been an important part of my entire life, helped her and other patients starting a habit which became a routine that ultimately helped her.”

After a breakout Australian 2024/25 season which sealed Edwards’s reputation as one of the nation’s premier sprinters, the Andrew Murphy-coached athlete said the confidence she’d gained from competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was crucial to her:

• Celebrating three wins during the domestic Summer Series
• Gaining selection for the Australian team competing at next month’s World University Games in Germany
• Setting Personal Bests of 22.81 (+1.2) for 200m at the national championships and 11.26 (+1.0) for the 100m while competing at the Sydney Track Classic
• Defeating Australia’s fastest woman Torrie Lewis on her way to winning the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.

Edwards said following her personal motto of ‘Patience and Persistence’ has helped drive her rising stock as an individual sprinter after being considered for many years as one of Australia’s premier female relay runners.

“Sometimes we can get caught up in the idea that we need to be achieving this and that when you’re in your early 20s,” she said. “But I think the transition from a junior to senior athlete can be quite difficult for some people.

“A lot of athletes give the sport away after they finish school, but I haven’t ever had a time in my career when I’ve thought: ‘oh, I’m never going to make it on these teams,’ or ‘I’m just not going to run fast enough’.

“I just trained and showed up. And that was my main takeaway when I made the Olympics. It came together because I just kept doing what I loved doing and kept showing up each day and striving to improve.

“That’s what I attribute to my making the Olympics. It wasn’t like I did anything fancy or that I was a superstar who was beating people or being amazing. I just kept chipping away slowly and I was gradually getting better and better.”

KRISTIE EDWARDS FAST FACTS

• Edwards was surprised when she raced in the under-nine’s NSW Primary School Sport Association’s state 100m final and noticed all of her opponents were wearing spikes. She raced in her joggers and finished in third place.
• Her first coach when she joined Little A’s was Australian Athletics icon, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor.
• Gainsford, a three-time Olympian and world indoor championships gold medallist for the 200m, was such a positive influence on Edwards she considers her ‘a second mum.’
• Edwards’s mother, Katie, coaches NSWIS scholarship holder Mali Lovell, who won the bronze medal for the 200m T36 at last year’s Paralympic Games
• At 13 Edwards won the National All Schools 200m in an impressive time of 24.52.
• Before focussing on athletics, she played netball for Manly Warringah.
• Edwards is a keen gardener and enthusiastic reader of biographies.
• In 2018 she made her debut in the green and gold at the World under 20 Championships.
• In 2021 she moved to Brisbane where she reduced her times to 11.55 (100m) and 23.17 (200m).
•  Edwards competed in two Diamond League meets with Australia’s 4 x 100m relay team, finishing fifth at London and third in Zurich, clocking 43.21 – the seventh fastest time in Australia history.
• Edwards describes her parents for having the biggest influence on her life, and thanks them for all they’ve done to help her.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS