Emma Jeffcoat

Emma graduated into surf lifesaving, and it was her success that made her decide upon leaving school that she wanted to be a professional athlete. A teacher suggested she give triathlon a go, so Emma hired a bike and entered the state championships. A natural from the start, Emma quickly focussed on triathlon as a way to realise her dream of going to the Olympics and turned pro in 2015.

Career highlights have included wins at ITU World Cup events in Mooloolaba and Chengdu in 2018 and Tiszaujvaros in 2019. In addition, she has been part of the successful Australian Mixed Relay team and took the win in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Emma has also been a regular on the Super League Triathlon circuit from the start. She showed great consistency in the 2018 season by securing four top-ten finishes from four events to end the season ninth in the Championship Series standings.

Emma realised her dream of representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, featuring in both the individual and mixed relay events.

Away from triathlon, Emma is also a qualified nurse, following in the footsteps of her mother. Emma spent a long period of time critically ill in The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as a four-year-old before recovering but has always been inspired by the work of healthcare professionals.

She completed a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Sydney under the Elite Athlete Scholarship Program and has a passion for emergency and intensive care speciality work. She volunteered to return to nursing during the COVID crisis.