Taliqua Clancy

Rural Queensland born Taliqua Clancy was inspired to pursue her own Olympic glory after witnessing Cathy Freeman's historic triumph at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games.

Fifteen-year-old Taliqua turned down a netball scholarship offer from the Australian Institute of Sport, instead accepting a scholarship to the Queensland Academy of Sport for Beach Volleyball. She joined the Australian Volleyball program at just 17 years old, moving to Adelaide to do so.

Taliqua and her partner Louise Bawden qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics after finishing the world ranking qualification period in seventh position. With her Olympic debut in Rio, she became the first Indigenous Australian to compete in Olympic Beach Volleyball.

They breezed through to the round of 16 undefeated, where they played American veterans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, who would go on to take bronze on the podium. The Australian pair finished in fifth position overall.

In October 2017 Taliqua began competing with Mariafe Artacho del Solar, after previously playing five months together back in 2012. Their partnership was rekindled after Bawden, Taliqua's teammate of almost five years, announced her retirement.

With Mariafe, Taliqua has reached the podium dozens of times, including at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Women's Championship and the Osaka Open. In their first season together, the pair won the most titles ever won by a team in Australian beach volleyball history.

Alongside Mariafe, the duo produced strong performances across the board at their debut Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018. They dominated competitors, not dropping a set until they played Vanuatu in the semi-final in their fifth match of the Games, which they still won. They met Canadian duo Humana-Paredes and Pavan in the gold medal match, where they were unfortunately defeated. They were applauded by a home crowd, in front of whom they were awarded a silver medal.

Taliqua and Mariafe had a remarkable Tokyo 2020 Olympic campaign, winning silver to earn Australia’s first Olympic medal in the event since Sydney 2000 and just our third medal ever in the sport.

Their campaign built throughout the two-week tournament, progressing through the pool stages with wins over Cuba and Italy before a tough 2-1 loss to Russian Olympic Committee saw them through to the round of 16 as second in their pool.

The pair lifted their intensity as the knockout stages commenced, defeating China in the round of 16 before knocking off the reigning world champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada in a scintillating quarter-final match-up that showcased world class volleyball from both teams. The 21-15 19-21 15-12 victory highlighted the Australian’s championship pedigree.

A straight sets semi-final victory over Latvia saw them assured of Australia’s first Olympic medal in 21 years. A tough final loss (21-15 21-16) against a red-hot USA pair of Alix Klineman and April Ross saw the Australians win silver to get back on the Olympic Beach Volleyball podium for the first time in over 20 years.

“It stung straight after the match, there were happy and sad tears mixed, but I woke up the next day and this feels so great,” Clancy said.

“We’ve won an Olympic silver medal and that’s such a fantastic achievement. My Olympic dream started watching Cathy Freeman back in 2000 and now I’m standing here an Olympic medallist.

With dreams of going one better than their silver medals on the Gold Coast and in Tokyo, Taliqua and Mariafe made a solid start to their campaign at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

The pair won through to the gold medal match, where they went down to Pavan and Humana-Paredes, settling for another silver.

With Mariafe suffering from a bacterial infection, the pair finished fourth at the 2023 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Mexico.

Taliqua and Mariafe came out firing in the bronze medal play-off against the USA’s Bristen Nuss and Taryn Kloff, taking the first set 21-15.

In a tight second set, the US pair fought back to win 19-21. The Aussies were unable to find their rhythm in the deciding set, with the USA claiming the medal with a 15-8 win.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics Mariafe and Taliqua were the only returning medallists from the women's beach volleyball competition at Tokyo 2020. The pair dropped just one game on their way to the semi-finals, where a tight 2-1 loss (22-20, 21-15, 15-12) to Brazilians Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa sent the Aussies to the bronze medal match.

Mariafe and Taliqua weren't able to match it with Tanja Huberli (SUI) and Nina Brunner (SUI), losing 2-0 to grab fourth place.

Outside of training and competition, Taliqua is heavily involved in the promotion of sport involvement to Indigenous students across the country, encouraging them to see the significance of education, opportunity in sport and the importance of their culture. She has worked in communities across Australia, seeing it as her chance to give back in the same way that she was afforded the opportunity to pursue her Olympic dreams.

Taliqua is also a member of the Australian Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission.

“It’s a huge honour to be appointed to the AOC Athletes’ Commission, joining such a highly regarded group of athletes, both present and retired,” Taliqua said.

“It’s a huge step to ensure Indigenous voices are part of the Athletes’ Commission. To represent our nation’s past, present and emerging first people and my Wulli Wulli and Goreng Goreng mob is an honour. I know there is huge list of extremely talented Indigenous athletes that would also do an amazing job so I’m very thankful to be appointed.”