My name is Anya Louw, I am 19 years old, and I am from Devonport, Tasmania. I am a first year student here at USC Sunshine Coast, studying for a Bachelor of Dietetics, and am a cyclist that is part of the Australian Cycling Academy / ARA – Pro Racing Sunshine Coast Team.
I started cycling when I was 10 years old with my local club in Tasmania, and started racing interstate when I was 13. At the age of 16, training started to become more serious and structured as the level of racing also lifted when I started to race U.19 and
Elite Women. Following some good results in 2017/18 (several podiums in the Elite level at the National Road Series, podium in U.19 National Time Trial, and also winning the Oceania U.19 Time Trial), I was selected to represent Australia at the Junior Road World Championships in Austria, where I finished 16th in the Time Trial. The following year (2019), more medals in the National Road Time Trial and Criterium lead to further opportunities to take part in my first international racing block in Belgium with the Australian Female Development Road Team, where so much race experience was gained on the bike! Opportunities like the ones I have mentioned will hopefully aid in my development to push towards my goal of progressing into the professional scene in Womens Road Racing.
As much as I love my sport and competing, I also understand that having a balance between being an elite athlete and also pursuing other goals off the bike is really important. It is really easy to become consumed in the world of sport, in my case the cycling culture (which is huge). For me, study is a great way to maintain perspective off the bike, and momentarily switch off the part of your brain that is so consumed in performance. In my opinion it is more sustainable in the long run.
I applied for the HPSA Program at USC because it helps you maintain that balance effectively. The fact that neither commitments of your sport or study need to be compromised due to the support the HPSA Program provides, increases your chance of success in both areas, given good time management and commitment! I train for around 20 hours per week or more (including gym and recovery sessions) and also frequently travel for competitions. Therefore having the flexibility and understanding from the university eliminates stress factors which could hinder performance in both areas. While studying here at USC, I hope to complete my program while also progressing further in my sport towards the professional level of racing.
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