Olivia Price is a well-known Australian Olympian and sailor. She Price received funding under the 2013 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program. She is an outstanding contender for the gold medal who made a successful comeback to the Olympics in 2012 and made it to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Olivia makes her Olympic return after 12 years
Olivia and Evie started sailing together in early 2022. In August 2023, the first piece of their puzzle fell into place when they won a bronze medal at the World Championships in The Netherlands and secured Australia a quota spot in the 49erFX class at the Paris Olympics.
Olivia had known Evie since her birth in 2003 because their fathers sailed together in 16ft skiffs at Drummoyne Sailing Club. It was Evie’s father who suggested that Olivia and Evie sail together.
“I never thought I would come back to Olympic sailing so it is a really special feeling that I never thought I would get to feel again.”
Olivia said
Olivia’s Childhood, Age, High School
Olivia Price was born on August 2, 1992, in Sydney. She is currently 31 years old and from Drummoyne, New South Wales. Olivia went to Drummoyne Public School. Then she attended high school at St Catherine School and later Sydney Distance Education High School. She chose distance education so she could have more time for competing and training. Olivia finally completed her HSC in 2011. Currently, she lives in Sydney and is part of The University of Sydney’s Elite Athlete Program.
Olivia’s mother, Kristine Prince, was also a state-level sailor in the Drummoyne team. Her father, David Prince, works as a shipwright. He was a sailor in the national teams as well.
Olivia Price Married since 2017, Meet her husband Tom
Olivia has been married since 2017. Her husband is Tom Woodcock who works as a shipwright at Woodcock Marine.
In 2017, Tom proposed marriage to Olivia. The couple then got married to each other.
How does Olivia Price start Sailing?
It only took one session out on the water for Olympic silver medalist Olivia Price to fall in love with sailing again. This led her to start preparing to compete at the Paris Games.
Olivia began sailing with the Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney when she was a child. She was the long-time skipper of Australia’s Women’s Match Racing crew. At the 2012 London Olympics, she was the youngest Australian sailor, turning 20 years old during the Games. Olivia started sailing on the ISAF World Cup Women’s Match Racing Tour at age 16 in 2008. She remained the youngest woman on the tour for many years.
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In 2011, Olivia was named Sailor of the Year. Since 2010, she has been coached by Euan McNicol. At 16 years old, Price began thinking about sailing professionally. Soon after, she joined the World Cup Women’s Match Racing Tour and started traveling overseas to represent Australia.
How Olivia Price Started Representing Australia
Olivia started representing Australia in sailing competitions in 2009 at the Kiel ISAF World Cup. By 2010, she achieved the number one rank in ISAF Women’s World Rankings as a bowman (crew member). She won gold at the 2010 ISAF World Cup in Weymouth. In the same year, she claimed the titles of Australian Women’s Match Racing Champion as skipper (captain) and Australian National Open Match Racing Championship as crew.
In 2011, Olivia began skippering her own boat at the ISAF World Cup events. She and her crew, Nina and Lucinda, won a bronze medal in the third event. They then competed at the Olympic Test event in Weymouth, UK, where they finished fifth.
In early 2015, Olivia and her new crew achieved a Bronze Medal at the Palma Euro Cup. However, in June 2015, one of her crew members suffered an ACL tear, ending their preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Olivia, who won silver in the Elliot 6m Match Racing event at the London Games, had retired for five years due to a serious back injury and not being selected for Rio. She was then approached by a young sailor named Evie Haseldine.
In 2018, Olivia competed in the high-powered and extremely fast SuperFoiler Grand Prix circuit, being the only female in the league, against some of the world’s top America’s Cup and Olympic sailing medallists.
While taking a break from sailing in 2019-20 to focus on her University studies and career, Olivia was the Head Coach of Sailing at the Ascham School, coaching young female sailors both on and off the water, and has been a personal mentor to many youth sailors.
Olivia Price’s Journey to PARIS
In 2023, after missing out on the Rio Olympics, Olivia decided to step away from sailing to concentrate on finishing her university degree and building her career. However, she still had a desire to sail.
Evie, who was looking for a mentor, sought Olivia’s guidance, and the pair went for a sail together. During their time on the water, something clicked, and by the time they had finished sailing, they began dreaming about competing in the Paris Olympics. Olivia and Evie started sailing together in early 2022.
In August 2023, Olivia and Evie took the first step towards their goal when they won a bronze medal at the World Championships in The Netherlands. This achievement secured Australia a quota spot in the 49erFX class for the Paris Olympics.
The bronze medal that Olivia and Evie won at the World Championships is Australia’s best result so far in the 49erFX class. In the past 18 months, they have enjoyed more success than their rival crews. They credit their level of communication as the reason behind their success.
Olivia and Evie, who share a very strong bond, are training hard for the Paris Olympics, with their sights set on winning the gold medal.
Olivia had actually known Evie since she was born in 2003 because their fathers sailed together in 16ft skiffs at Drummoyne Sailing Club – and it was Evie’s dad who suggested the pair get together.
