Silver in Paris: The Faith Journey of Olympian Nicola Olyslagers

By: Steff Willis

While many would see winning an Olympic medal as the pinnacle of success, for Nicola Olyslagers, it’s a bonus.

Nicola Olyslagers is an Australian high jumper and a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, having secured her second silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Nicola set a personal best of 2.02 meters at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she became the first Australian woman to clear over 2 meters in the high jump. In addition to her Olympic success, Nicola has also medaled in major international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and the Diamond League circuit.

Although she once found fulfillment in her performance, her perspective shifted completely after encountering Jesus.

Alongside fellow Australian athlete, Naa Anang, she started Everlasting Crowns which is all about seeing fellow athletes transformed by Jesus, planted in churches and being discipled to be a blessing wherever they are.

The Journey to Paris

Nicola and Naa spoke in our interview about Paris 2024 and how they navigate their faith and being professional athletes.

For Nicola, the journey to Paris was a unique one. She started the year strong, securing a World Indoor Championship and setting an Australian allcomers record of 2.03m at her season opener in Canberra, which filled her with confidence ahead of the Olympics.

However, two months before the Games, she suffered an injury in Europe.

“That was really a testing time” Nicola said. “I wasn’t able to walk without pain or run without pain. It was a moment of… where is my faith in the midst of the storm? Because I hadn’t really dealt with injury before.”

Learning to Depend on God

“I learned how to really be so dependent on God for literally every movement that I did,” Nicola said. “I feel like in that time I totally would have given up if I didn’t have faith and I would have let my hopes drop.”

“Because my hope wasn’t based in my circumstance, it was based on the immovable power of Jesus and knowing that he can do immeasurably more than all I can ask, going into the Olympics I was like…This is just my opportunity to worship.”

Everlasting Crowns: Birthed From Disappointment

Naa explained how the Everlasting Crowns organisation was birthed out of the disappointment of missing out on the Rio Olympics.

“I think it both forced us to take a look at our faith and think, why are we really doing this?” Naa said.

“If it’s for our glory, we’re going to have seasons of disappointment that will just be so discouraging but if it’s for Jesus and for him, then even if there is a moment of disappointment, it’s very quickly covered by love and grace and comfort.

“So, we just took a look inward and a look outward as well and thought, how can we contribute to the place that we’re already placed in?”

The Rewards of Sharing Her Faith

When asked if it’s challenging to always share her faith so boldly, Nicola was quick to explain that the rewards far outweigh the risks.

“There’s risks, but He’s actually worthy of it,” Nicola said. “I’ve never seen consequences outweigh the goodness of God. I’ve never regretted stepping out in faith. Never, ever.

“Because nobody can take away what I’ve already given, I’ve given my life to the Lord. I’ve given this platform to him. And because of that… you have the opportunity to try and please other people or trying to live out boldly for God with real consequences there.”

Check out Everlasting Crowns on Instagram to follow Naa Anang and Nicola Olyslagers in their faith journey.

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Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Instagram / Everlasting Crowns, Nicola Olyslagers