With a background in gymnastics, both as an athlete and coach, I took the first steps in my career in sport science through undergraduate studies at the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town. I then worked in clinical practice as a biokineticist in Johannesburg, developing a particular interest in sports injury rehabilitation and the relationship between physical capacity, movement and injury.

 

My PhD brought me to Perth and the University of Western Australia, where I investigated the biomechanics of cricket fast bowling and the mechanisms underlying lumbar injury. This work established the foundation for my academic and applied career in biomechanics.

 

On returning to South Africa, I spent ten years at the University of Pretoria in roles spanning academia, research and applied sport science. Alongside teaching and research, I supervised ten MSc and PhD students through to graduation and provided scientific support to elite athletes. This included work with Cricket South Africa and the International Cricket Council, as well as supporting Olympic sports at the High Performance Centre.

 

In 2023, I returned to Perth to join the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) as the biomechanist for the swimming and athletics programs in the lead-up to the Paris Olympic Games. I am now Senior Movement Scientist at WAIS, working as the embedded practitioner within swimming while leading performance analysis, biomechanics and skill acquisition service delivery across the organisation.

 

Across four Olympic cycles in two countries, I have had the opportunity to support more than 40 Olympians and Paralympians across athletics, swimming, rowing, kayaking and gymnastics, including more than a dozen Olympic medalists. I have been fortunate to work alongside exceptional athletes, coaches and performance teams in some remarkable sporting environments, and those experiences have shaped both my understanding of high-performance sport and the way I approach my work.

 

Throughout my career, my approach to biomechanics has evolved alongside the questions that arise in practice. My early research focused on understanding movement and the mechanical factors associated with performance and injury. Over time, this has expanded towards questions of how performance should be measured, which methods provide meaningful information, and how increasingly sophisticated technologies can be used appropriately in real sporting environments. I am especially interested in bridging the gap between what we can measure and what is genuinely useful to athletes and coaches.

 

I place particular value on the way multidisciplinary teams work together. Clear roles, shared language, trust and coordinated decision-making are essential when different areas of expertise need to come together. I enjoy working across those boundaries and helping different perspectives connect around the needs of the athlete and coach.