A neuroscience degree from Harvard or an Australian record in the hammer throw would be enough for most, but Stephanie Ratcliffe is not like most. The Olympian believes she has the tools to be a global contender, now working on the throws to make that thought a fact.
You can’t force the hammer. The stubborn four-kilogram ball sits on the end of a wire like an anchor, demanding athletes to work with it rather than against it. Ratcliffe does so with speed and elegance, breaking the mould of brute force often associated with throwing events.
“I try to imagine a feeling and then I throw to try and replicate that feeling. When I’m long, relaxed and flowing – that’s when my biggest throws come and I’m at my best,” Ratcliffe says.
“Relax, trust yourself and have fun. They are like my cues at the moment.”
There has been no shortage of fun lately, with the Australian winning a second NCAA title last week with a throw of 71.37m to assist the throwing factory of Georgia to the team title, reclaiming her crown from 2023 where she won for Harvard with a national record of 73.63m.
“When I won in 2023, I didn’t realise how big of a deal it was until afterwards. That year was a breakthrough for me and because I was always the underdog, the nerves could never really catch up to me,” Ratcliffe says.
“It showed me what I can do. At the time, it didn’t even feel perfect, but looking back it was a great training year – I just didn’t know it. When you have done things before, you just expect to do them again and what I’ve learned is that it doesn’t always go that way.”
An Olympian with aspirations of winning is hardly news, but Ratcliffe speaks with an assurance that leaves you inclined to believe her. The 24-year-old strikes the balance of being proud but not consumed by her achievements to date; her excitement tempered by anticipation.
“That’s the goal, to win medals and ultimately win. It’s all well and good to have those goals but they don’t change what I do day-to-day, I just need to be the best I can be and the rest is out of my control,” Ratcliffe says.
In more objective measures, her personal best would have landed just 64 centimetres shy of bronze in Paris last year, but a significant back injury made Ratcliffe’s 15th place finish an achievement in itself after even qualifying proved a delicate battle.
Working with esteemed throws coach Don Babbitt, Ratcliffe challenged popular training theories requiring high loads and volume to successfully walk the tightrope of qualification and lay the foundations of future success.
“You don’t have to do it the way that everyone thinks you have to do it, it’s about breaking through those misconceptions. What you think might be the ideal situation might not actually be the best way to do it, you just haven’t tried a different way yet,” Ratcliffe says.
“Every decision we made last year was so calculated, we didn’t do anything unless there was a big reward. It was not only about what we were doing, but also what we weren’t doing.”
Ratcliffe’s decorated six-year stint in the United States will end this July after two NCAA titles, a neuroscience degree from Harvard University and masters in business analytics at Georgia University, as the Australian record holder returns to Melbourne to be coached by Dale Stevenson and train alongside Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny.
“America has given me things that I could never have dreamed of. The system here has been amazing for that in between phase from juniors to seniors and to get my education. At the same time, I have been looking forward to the day I can go back home for six years!” Ratcliffe says.
The Olympian’s path home will include three competitions beginning with the Iron Wood Classic in Idaho this weekend, where Ratcliffe will put herself to the test against the world’s premier hammer throwers ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
“I really want to get more experience against the best girls to replicate that World Championships and Olympic environment. A big goal of mine is to put myself in those positions and be forced to figure them out to prepare for the real thing later on,” Ratcliffe says.
And while the hammer throw and 100m are world’s apart, Ratcliffe and fellow Australian rising star Lachlan Kennedy have Type 1 diabetes in common – another challenge she handles with ultimate professionalism.
“I don’t remember life without it; it’s just a part of me that I can’t change it. Competition days can be hard because adrenaline messes with your blood sugars and I’m out there for hours, it’s always either too high or crashing back down,” Ratcliffe says.
“Before my NCAA final it was sky high because my site failed, so I had to change the site in the bathroom on the way to the call room. Sometimes you just have to do your best and roll with what you are given.”
With the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympic Games under her belt, Ratcliffe’s time as a mere participant at major championships may soon be all but over.
28th June – Iron Wood Classic, Idaho (USA)
13th July – Edmonton Athletics Invitational, Edmonton (CAN)
15th July – Harry Jerome Classic, Burnaby (CAN)
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 25/6/2025
