Michelle Bromley

Michelle Bromley’s destiny was always intertwined with table tennis. Her parents fell in love at a tennis table club, and her grandparents competed at a national level well into their 80s. The sport became a family affair, with Michelle’s older brothers also taking up the racket, and it wouldn’t be long before she followed in her family’s footsteps.

Growing up in the small NSW country town of Gulgong, six-year-old Michelle would tirelessly hit the ball against the kitchen wall at home, much to her mother’s annoyance. By the age of seven, she secured her first trophy at the State Primary School Championships.

Recognising her talent, Michelle’s mother nurtured her early table tennis development. However, by the age of 10, her father took over as her coach and warm-up partner, recognising something special in her.

One of Michelle’s fondest memories was training with her dad each night in the family shed. At 13, she clinched her first national title and represented Australia internationally that year. Despite several attempts, it was in 2018 that Michelle was first selected to wear the green and gold at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, crediting her selection to her late father.

“My dad is my hero; he was always my biggest fan and believed I could achieve my dreams,” Michelle said.

Michelle made it to the women’s doubles quarter-finals in her Commonwealth Games debut and was part of the Australian women’s team that lost a bronze medal match against England. 

In 2020 she qualified for her first Olympic Games, making her debut at Tokyo 2020. The 32-year-old at the time won eight out of her nine matches at the Australian Qualification Tournament, securing her ticket to Tokyo.

At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, Michelle made her Olympic debut in both the women’s singles and team events. She faced Polish athlete Natalia Partyka in an opening round singles loss. Teaming up with Melissa Tapper and Jian Fang Lay, they competed against Germany. Germany advanced 3-0.

After Tokyo, Michelle competed in various state and national competitions with her best results including two victories in the NSW Closed Championship in the 2022 and 2024 seasons. She also went on to win the women’s open division in the St George and Sutherland Shire Open Championships two months before the Australian Olympic qualifiers. 

In the 2024 Australian Olympic qualification tournament Michelle won five out of her seven matchups, which included victory over six-time Australian table tennis Olympian Jian Fang Lay.