Brandon Starc has spent more than a decade soaring over bars for Australia but his greatest test hasn’t always been physical.
Through injury, pressure, and the shifting reality of a long career, he’s learned that true strength isn’t about holding it together, but about opening up.
For Starc, the mental side of sport wasn’t something he thought much about early on.
“For the most part of my career, it was a gradual increase in success,” he says. “Mentally, there was no real stress. I was 19 in 2013 when I made my debut in Moscow, and I didn’t really have any responsibilities. I was relatively young so mentally, it was quite easy.”
But as his career grew and as with any high performance athlete, so did the expectations both internal and external.
“When you do find success, there’s more people involved, there’s more expectations from others,” he reflects. “That does start to add some stress. But for me, most of it was from injuries.”
Now at 31-years-old, he’s had more than a few. From surgery in 2016 to multiple setbacks since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, those stretches have tested him in ways that high jump never could.
“That’s where the mental health kind of gets hit the most,” he says. “How I got through that was just leaning on the most important people in my life. That’s my wife, Laura, she’s been with me since 2014, almost my whole senior career. She understands everything. She’s very active in the space, and she often brings me back to reality when I start to go down a little hole.”
Crediting both his wife and and his long-time coach, Alex Stewart for helping him stay mentally steady through the roughest patches, Brandon emphasises the importance of a solid support network to get through any hurdle.
“Alex is amazing at modifying training,” he says. “Even though there’s an injury, there’s always a goal to work towards. It’s more about thinking of what I can do right now to get back on the horse.”
The focus on what’s possible rather than what has been lost through injury has kept Starc grounded.
“Mentally it can be quite draining if you’re constantly saying, ‘I can’t do this.’ Alex flips that. It’s like, ‘Okay, we can do this. Let’s perfect this while we can.’ That helps the mental side for sure.”
In 2021, when Starc and Laura welcomed their son Oli, everything shifted. “I’ve tried to be very, very present with him. It helps me switch off the stresses or the injuries of athletics and focus on him. It takes my mind off all the things that might be negative.”
Becoming a dad, he says, gave him perspective and a new sense of self.
“Before Oli was born, that was all I was doing – athletics,” he says. “Becoming a dad, I think I’ve become more of a ‘Brandon.’ I’m not just the high jumper. Whether other people see me like that or not, that’s how I feel. It’s been amazing.”
While the sport has taught him resilience, Starc knows it’s also shaped an image that can be hard to shake.
“I still think athletes and particularly men, are expected to project a sense of strength or stoicism even when they’re struggling,” he says.
“Be the manly man type thing. But I’ve never tried to be something that I’m not. There’ve been a lot of moments where there’ve been tears from my end. As an emotional guy, I don’t really try and hold anything back. I like when people just show their raw emotion and just be themselves.
“I think that comes into being a dad as well. It’s a good lesson for Oli – to express yourself and show emotion. I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing that. There’s no reward for trying to suppress your emotion or keeping it inside.”
Now, as Starc enters what he acknowledges is the later stage of his career, he’s more reflective and kinder to himself but it took a conversation with a sports psych earlier this year to reset his outlook.
“I’m closer to the end than the start of my career. That’s quite scary…. The question was, ‘If a 15-year-old Brandon looked at your career now, would you be proud?’ And that kind of shifted my whole mindset. Because absolutely I would. I would take that career. It’s a good career.”
Before that, he says, he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to tick off unfulfilled goals including claiming a global medal.
“That’s still very much the goal and I still firmly believe I can achieve that. But there’s a lot less pressure on myself now. It’s a good career. I’ve done things I only dreamed of.”
Asked what message he wants to leave this Movember, Starc doesn’t hesitate.
“Communication is the biggest thing,” he says.
“I haven’t been a great communicator but I feel like I’m getting better. Talking to more people, being open. You never know what a two-minute chat might do to your mood or your day. Being open can do a world of difference.”
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted: 13/11/2025
