Few athletes hit their peak after the age of 30, but Sarah Carli is doing exactly that. The Olympic hurdler’s return to full-time work has coincided with her best season yet, crediting financial security as a major factor in allowing her to flourish on the world stage.
The final of four athletes to be profiled this month for The Athletics Foundation, you can mark the end of the 2025 financial year with a tax-deductible donation to help athletes like Sarah perform on the world stage. More information about The Athletics Foundation can be found HERE.
Across five days of work and six days of training per week, Sarah does it all with a smile.
One of the friendliest faces on the Australian athletics circuit, the 400m hurdler continues to rise in her 31st year, enjoying a rich vein of form off the back of returning to full-time work as a financial planner.
But while she looks like she has it all figured out, Sarah says that is not always the case:
“If you had asked me in December, I was pretty ready to pull the pin. I was at a breaking point and struggling to work out how I could keep going for a few more years, doing only half a week of work,” Carli said.
“You make a lot of sacrifices to do athletics at the highest level and it makes it hard when you’re not being fulfilled in your working career which is such a big part of your life as well.”
The Olympian has also built her social media following and brand to support her athletics career, devoting time in her schedule to create engaging content that brings supporters along for the ride.
A two-time Olympian who sits in third on the Australian all-time list behind only Olympic champion Debbie Flintoff-King and world champion Jana Pittman, Sarah has won the last four Australian titles – including 2025 where she set a personal best of 54.29-seconds.
Making her Diamond League debut in 2025 with fifth place in Oslo before doubling back in Stockholm, Sarah has established herself as one of the world’s premier 400m hurdlers this year, all while maintaining her excellence off the track.
“It’s taken a long time to find the balance. There are times of the year where I put 100 per cent into work when I’m not travelling or away, and that sets me up for the periods before major championships,” Carli said.
“When I went back to full-time work and alleviated that financial pressure, I started running better.”
Already selected for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, Sarah will chase her first global final, juggling five days per week in the office in the lead up:
“I’m fortunate to have picked a career where I work in an office! I can’t even imagine being a nurse or working in a trade, being on your feet all day.”
Having reflected on her second Olympic Games, Sarah describes a path forward that strikes a balance been both of her careers, but concedes it is easy to say given her current form and success.
“After an Olympic cycle everyone does a lot of reflecting. I have found that I’m happiest with my sport when it’s the part of my life that I’m doing for myself; the thing I do because I love doing it and the thing that I look forward to,” Carli said.
“Especially in the back end of your 20’s when everyone is advancing in their professional careers or buying houses, if you have a bad season, you start asking yourself what you’re doing it all for. They were questions I was asking myself as recently as December.”
Building consistency with three times under the 55-second barrier already in 2025, Sarah is quietly optimistic about delivering her best major championship result yet at this year’s World Athletics Championships in September.
While the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games remain over three years away, the road is ongoing for many athletes like Sarah, and you are invited on the journey by supporting them directly through The Athletics Foundation.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 26/6/2025
