Taliqua Clancy

Taliqua Clancy is an Olympic silver medalist in beach volleyball whose career highlights include multiple Olympic appearances and Commonwealth Games medals. After becoming the first Indigenous Australian to compete in Olympic Beach Volleyball at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Taliqua Clancy went on to establish herself as a premier international athlete with multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals. Her Olympic journey began in Rio with partner Louise Bawden, where the duo achieved a fifth-place overall finish. Earlier in her career, Clancy accepted a beach volleyball scholarship at the Queensland Academy of Sport, a pivotal decision that led her to decline a netball scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport.

She subsequently joined the Australian Volleyball program, furthering her training in Adelaide and laying the groundwork for her distinguished international successes. Following Bawden’s retirement in 2017, Clancy re-established her highly successful partnership with Mariafe Artacho del Solar in October 2017. This formidable duo quickly made history in their inaugural season (2017-2018), winning the most titles ever by a team in Australian beach volleyball history. Their momentum continued into 2018, where they secured a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, marking Clancy’s first appearance at the event.

In 2024, Clancy and Artacho del Solar competed at the Paris Olympics, achieving a fourth-place finish. Beyond her competitive endeavors, Taliqua Clancy is a passionate advocate for promoting sport to Indigenous students, focusing on education, cultural importance, and expanding sporting opportunities. She actively contributes to the representation of Indigenous voices within the Olympic movement through her role as a member of the Australian Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission.