Image: olympics.com.au
Former Manor Lakes College Student Overcomes Adversity to Make History at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Former Manor Lakes College student Marissa Williamson-Pohlman is set to make history in Paris as the first female Indigenous Australian Olympic boxer. Marissa, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, attended MLC from 2016 and graduated in 2019.
Born in Geelong and raised in Werribee, Marissa secured her spot at the 2024 Olympics after overcoming a knee injury to claim gold at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, defeating New Zealand’s Cara Wharerau in the 66kg final. Before finding her path in boxing, Marissa excelled on the footy field and was on the cusp of an AFLW career.
With the guidance of coach Kel Bryant, Marissa committed to full-time training. In 2019, after only three fights, she joined the Victorian Futures Squad. Her impressive performance led her to win state and national championships in the 64kg division and earn the NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year title.
A pivotal moment for Marissa came in 2021 when she received a prestigious Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship, allowing her to work with Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist Kerri Pottharst as a mentor and providing crucial financial support.
At the 2023 Australian Boxing Championships, Marissa became a three-time Australian champion and the first woman to win the Arthur Tunstall Trophy, awarded to the best boxer at the tournament. “Being the first woman and the first Aboriginal person to win that award is a big deal to me and my community,” she said.
Outside the ring, Marissa works as a heritage policy officer at the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, offering an Indigenous perspective on policy-making.
Marissa credits her success to her coach Bryant: “My best friend, my rock, my coach Kel, who never doubted me or my ability.”
Reflecting on her journey, Marissa said, “Never in my life did I think I could go to an Olympic Games. I was just a lost foster kid at one point, and four short years later, I’m traveling the world with the sport I love and I just qualified for the Olympics. I hope there’s kids who might see this and know there can be a future and it can get better.”
Marissa’s journey from a challenging childhood of foster care and homelessness to becoming an Olympic boxer is truly inspiring. Through Australian Rules football and later boxing, she found her path and now stands on the brink of making history.
