CARRIER Marina

General
TRAINING PARTNER
She decided to pursue modern pentathlon seriously after receiving encouragement from Australian modern pentathlete Edward Fernon, who lived nearby and asked her to train with him. "His mum heard from a friend that there was a girl who had done pentathlon before, so Ed got my mobile number and it transpired that we lived around the corner from each other. He called me explaining who he was and that he went to the London 2012 Olympic Games and asked if I would like to be his training partner and try to qualify for the [2014] Youth Olympic Games. I thought he was crazy, but he became my training partner and I figured, what have I got to lose? Ed and I have been training together ever since." (olympics.com.au, 01 Jan 2020; 09 Feb 2020; theroar.com.au, 24 Feb 2020)

IMPORTANCE OF STUDIES
She is studying medical science part-time at the University of Sydney, and says having something else to focus on besides sport is important for her mental well-being. "I dropped down to part time, because when things began ramping up in sport, I recognised that I was only human and there were only so many hours in the week. It's so important to have that balance [between study and sport]. It's a lesson I have learnt in the last year [2019] because of injury. No matter how dedicated you are, you are a human being first. If you aren't a happy person, you can't be a happy athlete. The elite athlete programme and the various clubs [at university], especially the athletics club, have been supportive beyond belief. I have always been able to shift assessments and exams." (theroar.com.au, 24 Feb 2020)

She was the first female Australian athlete to compete in modern pentathlete at the Youth Olympic Games, when she took part in the 2014 Games in Nanjing, People's Republic of China. (olympics.com.au, 01 Jan 2020)