UQ student has rowing at Rio Olympics in her sights

For University of Queensland student Fiona Albert, being named Australian University Sport’s Female Athlete of the Year last month is a step towards her goal of representing Australia at the 2016 Olympics.

The soon-to-be Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts graduate won the bronze medal in the women’s single scull at the 2014 World University Championships for Rowing in Gravelines, France in September.

She said she would be working towards competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“Winning the AUS Female Athlete of the Year is a very exciting end to what has been a fantastic year – being able to represent my country at an international level and also completing my university degree,” she said.

“Leading up to Rio, I’m aiming to make the Australian Senior A Rowing team in 2015, and after that –who knows? Rowing is a sport where athletes tend to have long careers and I’ll only be 29 in 2020 so I’d love to continue rowing until then.”

During her studies, Fiona’s typical week involved 21-25 hours of training on top of university and work commitments.

The former UQ Sport Achievement Scholarship holder said her schedule had required good time management skills.

“Studying full time and pursuing elite sport are not mutually exclusive – despite what I have been told numerous times,” she said.

“The key is being very organised and prioritising your studies or your sport as and when required,” she said.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj congratulated Fiona on her recent sporting achievement.

“Fiona is an excellent role model for students who are combining study with elite-level sport,” Professor Høj said.

“It’s always pleasing to see our students performing on the world stage and we are very proud of Fiona. She is a fine ambassador for Australia and also for UQ.”

Media: UQ Communications, 07 3365 1130 or c.bird1@uq.edu.au