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Ten metres up, a few seconds in the air, and a score decided by how little the water moves. Platform diving rewards precision above everything else, and Ellie Cole has built her life around it, on the tower and in the lab.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Ellie stepped onto the platform alongside the sport's most seasoned divers and finished seventh in the 10m final with a score of 333.30, the top Australian result in the event. She was 17, it was her first Olympic Games, and she flew home to finish Year 12.

A gymnast from the age of six, Ellie climbed the 10m tower for the first time at 11 and called it "love at first dive". Her first international competition, the 2024 American Cup in Indianapolis, brought gold in both the individual and synchronised 10m platform. Since Paris, she has been named Diving Australia's Emerging Diver of the Year, won silver in 10m synchro at the World Junior Championships in Brazil, and taken bronze in the women's 10m synchro and mixed team events at the 2026 World Cup Super Final.

Science is her other discipline, and she treats it with the same rigour. Ellie has been running research projects since primary school. In 2024 alone, she received the Australian Defence Force Future Innovators Award, the Grand Prize for Ingenuity at the ASTA iCubed Science Awards and a Young Scientist Award, and her Year 12 research into recirculated air in tunnels earned her selection for the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Today Ellie studies at Stanford University, diving for the college team while continuing to represent Australia, with a career in engineering firmly in her sights.

On stage, she speaks to students, educators and organisations about performing under pressure, working through doubt, and refusing to choose between the things you love. Her message to anyone who has been told to pick a lane is a simple one: "You don't have to be just one thing."

Expertise

Talking Points

BEYOND THE PL ATFORM – DIVING INTO RESILIENCE, RISK AND RISING ABOVE

From launching into the air at 10 metres high to balancing elite sport with high school exams, Ellie Cole’s Olympic journey is a lesson in courage, resilience and grace under pressure. In this powerful keynote, Ellie shares her story of rising through the ranks to become one of Australia’s most exciting platform divers–culminating in a breathtaking top-seven finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics, all while finishing high school. Audiences will get a behind-the-scenes look at the dedication, mental strength and recovery it takes to come back from injury–including the painful two-year road back from a stress fracture. With stories that are as inspiring as they are relatable, Ellie reflects on what it takes to chase big dreams, handle setbacks, and trust yourself when you’re flying through the air. A natural speaker with wisdom beyond her years, Ellie reminds us that excellence isn’t born, it’s built–dive by dive, day by day.

BRAINS AND BRAVERY – WHY YOU DON ’ T HAVE TO BE JUST ONE THING

Olympian. Inventor. Future engineer. Ellie Cole is living proof that passion doesn’t need to fit into one lane. In this inspiring and energising talk, Ellie breaks down the false divide between sport and science–and why chasing both has made her better at each. From developing an award-winning air quality monitor while training for the Olympics, to turning down a prestigious international science fair to compete for Australia in Paris, Ellie’s journey is one of purpose, passion and possibility. She speaks candidly about what it’s like to grow up in high-performance sport, the pressure of perfection, and the freedom that comes from choosing your own path–even if it’s not always the most obvious one. Perfect for STEM events, schools, youth programs and leadership forums, Ellie’s message is clear: you don’t have to shrink yourself to fit into a single box. You can be powerful and precise. Brave and brainy. And most of all, you can define success on your own terms.