Who would have thought that when Charlotte Ollivier joined her brother and signed up for the Sydney Catholic Schools rowing program back in 2023, within three years she would win gold at the 2026 Australian Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington in Tasmania?
Charlotte, who attends St Aloysius College Cronulla, only began rowing three years ago when she registered for the five-week Sydney Catholic Schools–St George Rowing Club Introduction to Rowing program.
Charlotte, who rows with the UTS-Haberfield Rowing Club, not only won gold in the under-19 single scull event, but also secured three bronze medals as part of the under-21 women’s eight, the club women’s eight, and the open women’s sprint eight.
She was brought in at the last minute for the open women’s sprint eight as stroke when one of the crew members was forced to withdraw.
College principal at St Aloysius Cronulla, Stephen Mahoney, said he was proud of Charlotte’s achievement.
“Securing three bronze medals – particularly stepping into the stroke seat for a Paris Olympian in the open women’s sprint- is nothing short of remarkable.
It speaks volumes about her composure and leadership under pressure,” he said.
Earlier this year, Charlotte competed in the prestigious NSW Head of the River regatta at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith. The regatta featured more than 1200 competitors, the majority from private schools, with Charlotte among a handful of Sydney Catholic Schools students participating.
Competing in the open schoolgirls’ single sculls, Charlotte showed composure and determination to claim a bronze medal in an extremely competitive field.
Up against students from schools with comprehensive rowing programs, she was narrowly beaten for silver by less than 0.1 seconds.
Sydney Catholic Schools and St George Rowing Club have been in partnership for four years, providing hundreds of students the opportunity to experience rowing.
The program continues to grow under the guidance of SCS education officer Troy Moran and St George Rowing member Mark Featherstone.
When Troy Moran heard about Charlotte’s success, he said: “Although the program is focused on introducing Sydney Catholic Schools students to rowing, we always hoped that some students would continue their journey and go on to compete successfully at events such as the Head of the River.”
Charlotte now has her sights set on the future, and it is not hard to imagine this determined and talented student from Cronulla representing Australia at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
