Liz Clay

BIOGRAPHY

While battling injuries, Liz Clay was a regular mid-13 second 100m hurdler from her teens until age 24, but in February 2020 she made a massive breakthrough clocking her first sub 13 second time. Shortly after COVID shut down the remainder of her 2020 campaign. Then in 2021 the progression and consistency at a new level was frantic with 11 sub-13 runs, including a summer best of 12.72 (number two Aussie all-time) and the national title. Selected for her Olympic debut at Tokyo she was superb, second in her heat, then third in her semi-final. She clocked a PB 12.71 to just miss a place in the final by 0.04 seconds.

"I'm gutted….to miss this final by 0.04 seconds is so disappointing,” Clay said. “I can't believe it I wanted it so bad. It's been such a long journey to get here. I think I held my own out there and believe I'm good enough to be in the final. A personal best by 0.01 is great, but that's nothing compared to what making the final would have meant. The calibre this year is insane. I'll be back in Paris and pushing for that final." 

Liz was regularly running under 13 seconds again by March 2022 and selected for the World Indoor Championships, her first ever indoor race. Competing at Belgrade at the World Indoors Championships, she finished fourth in her semi-final, missing a position in the final by 0.01 seconds. In April she defended her National title in a quick 12.72, just 0.01 seconds outside her PB. 

At the World Championships in Eugene in July, there was great disappointment when Liz fell in her heat, injuring her right foot. It was later diagnosed as a broken Cuneiform bone and Cuboid joint - 4th and 5th metatarsal fractures and dislocation. It required two surgeries, three months apart. Rehabilitation was slow, on crutches and in a cast/boot for six weeks she didn’t run for five months. A year later she was still not back to ‘normal’ function with rehad ongoing. 
On three months training she resumed racing in April 2023 running a 100m at the Australian Champs. Competed in four races in Europe in June/July 2023, reaching a best of 13.02 windy. After spraining her ankle while training in Europe, she finished her season and returned to Australia.

Her return continued domestically in early 2024 with a series of good runs eventually back under 13 seconds at the Queensland Championships and Sydney Track Classic. Second at Nationals, she then claimed the Oceania title in June in Suva.

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A keen dancer when she was very young, Liz Clay would go to athletics to watch her younger brother Harry compete. She got bored just watching him from the stands and decided to jump the fence and start her sporting journey at Hornsby Little Athletics in the under-10s. Over the next decade her career evolved primarily as a hurdler, but it would be constant injuries which would hamper her career.

Clay was selected for her junior international debut at the 2014 World Juniors in the 100m hurdles, but had to withdraw from the team when she broke her navicular bone weeks before the team departed. After completing an exercise and sports science degree in Sydney, she relocated to the Gold Coast for coaching. She had been making modest improvements in her hurdle times, plagued by injuries every year. It never fully healed and caused problems every season. It was a tough time for Clay, she felt all the other girls were progressing and achieving the things she wanted to and knew she could achieve. During these years she found competing mentally difficult as she never knew what the outcome was going to be, and it made her very stressed.

She recalls the first season without injury preventing her competing, felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Supporting her on her journey since arriving on the Gold Coast was leading Australian hurdles coach Sharon Hannan who had guided Sally Pearson to Olympic gold in 2012. 

Her start to the 2018/19 summer was promising, running a 100m personal best and two good hurdle times of 13.39 wind assisted and 13.43 into a strong 1.9m/s wind. But days before the national championships she fractured her fibula in training. So determined, she was not deterred and embarked on a massive winter of training. Finally, in the 2019/20 summer the breakthrough happened. She ran a substantial 100m personal best, then in her pet event the 100m hurdles she broke her now three-year-old hurdles best running 13.26. But that was just a hint of what was to come, when she ran a stunning 12.94 in Melbourne, to become the fourth fastest in Australian history. 
She just continued that progression in the summer of 2020/21, setting two PB 12.84, then 12.72, both Olympic qualifiers, as she became the second fastest in Australian history.

Occupation: Athlete/Graphic Designer… Hobbies: NBA, Design in general (graphic design/interior design)…Most influential people in career: I couldn’t name just one, however Sharon and David my current coaches are at the top…2022 World Championships fall and injury: Right foot – Cuneiform bone, Cuboid joint, 4th and 5th metatarsal fractures and dislocation. It required two surgeries, three months apart…Rehabilitation: She did not run for five months, was in cast/boot for six weeks with crutches. Started running in late December 2022, however was not back to “normal” function for 12 months - rehab is ongoing (@ Nov 2023)…Biggest challenge faced: Breaking my foot in 2022 and the rehab that followed it. The amount of times I’ve felt like I’m starting over or starting again has been very difficult after just getting my career started in 2021…Education: Degree in Exercise and Sports Science at Sydney University

@ 8 June 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au