Tahlya Smith’s (Class of 2021) remarkable journey to representing Australia on the World Stage
Tahlya Smith’s (Class of 2021) remarkable journey to representing Australia on the World Stage
Class of 2021, Tahlya Smith will represent Australia in Germany later this month in the separate discipline of rhythmic gymnastics, which comprises five apparatus – rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. This will be Tahlya’s first time competing as an individual athlete on the world stage, marking a remarkable comeback after a challenging 2024.
When Tahlya was at Radford, her dream was to represent Australia at the 2024 Olympic Games in rhythmic gymnastics. Her team was ranked #1 in Australia for two consecutive years leading into Olympic selections and was widely predicted to qualify. However, a series of injuries early in 2024 forced changes to the team’s routines, and they narrowly missed Olympic selection at the final qualifier in Bulgaria in March 2024.
Despite the disappointment, Tahlya showed incredible resilience. She made the decision to return to Individual Senior International competition (having competed in the Group Senior International division since finishing Year 12), with the goal of qualifying for the World University Games in 2025. In her first year back competing as an individual, Tahlya has achieved that goal, earning selection for Germany, as well as qualifying for competitions in Portugal (declined) and Romania, which she will also attend after the Games.
“What I am most looking forward to about this competition is definitely the experience as an individual athlete on the world stage,” Tahlya said.
“I have only ever competed in the team division in my sport, so my goal for the competition is to live through the experience day by day and manage the highs and lows of the competition, while having plenty of fun.”
Balancing an elite training schedule with her architecture degree has required immense discipline.
“With a very hands-on degree like architecture, managing my heavy training load with uni can be challenging from time to time. I make sure I am very organised and when I have spare time, I try my best to use it for my uni work.”
Tahlya’s determination and perseverance are truly inspiring, and we wish her every success as she represents Australia in Germany and Romania.
Note: Tahlya’s gymnastics career, including her international representation, is entirely self-funded. Any support or exposure that assists with her fundraising efforts is greatly appreciated.
Photo credit: QUT University and Tahlya Smith Instagram page.
Parts of content has been extracted from the QUT University website.