Marissa Williamson Pohlman

Marissa Williamson Pohlman, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, became the first indigenous Australian female boxer to fight at the Olympics.

Marissa booked her ticket to the 2024 Olympics when she overcame a knee injury to claim gold at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, defeating New Zealand’s Cara Wharerau in the 66kg final.

“Never in my life did I think I could go to an Olympic Games,” Marissa said after qualifying for the Olympics. “I was just a lost foster kid at one point and four short years later, I’m travelling the world with the sport I love and I just qualified for the Olympics.

“I hope there’s kids who might see this and know there can be a future and it can get better.”

Marissa turned to Australian Rules football and later to boxing after a tough childhood of foster care and homelessness. At one point her school principal put her on a behaviour contract that required a commitment to sport.

She excelled on the footy field and was on the verge of an AFLW career when opportunities began opening up in the boxing ring.

With the support of coach Kel Bryant, Marissa knuckled down to full-time training. In 2019, after just three fights, she was invited to join the Victorian Futures Squad. She won state and national championships in the 64kg division and was named NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year.

A turning point for Marissa came in 2021 when she received a prestigious Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship, which provided the financial support she needed and the opportunity to work with Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist Kerri Pottharst as a mentor.

At the 2023 Australian Boxing Championships she became an Australian champion for the third time and was the first woman to win the Arthur Tunstall Trophy, which is given to the best boxer at the tournament.

“To be first woman to be able to win that award, to be the first woman to win that [award] as an Aboriginal person too is a big deal to me and my community. It’s a huge thing,” she said.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women’s -66kg preliminary round of 16, the then 22-year-old fell short (30-27) in the three-round fight against Anna Luca Hamori (HUN).

Outside of the ring, Marissa works as a heritage policy officer at the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, providing an indigenous perspective on policy-making.

When asked about what motivates her to keep going in difficult times and to maintain a balance between working full-time and training 10 times a week, Marissa paid particular tribute to her coach Bryant: “My best friend, my rock, my coach Kel, who never doubted me or my ability.”