Abbey Willcox knows that failure isn’t final, it’s an opportunity to begin again.

The 2026 Winter Olympics aerial skier returned to her graduating high school, Henry Kendall, to inspire students by sharing stories of her professional athlete journey so far, and the importance of never giving up.

Abbey spoke openly about the challenges she has faced throughout her sporting career, including injuries, setbacks and managing anxiety and fear while competing at an elite level.

The Olympian also touched on maintaining motivation, the importance of teamwork and support networks and offered practical advice and encouragement to students pursuing their own passions; whether in sport, academic or other fields.

“In Year 11, I was a gymnast who really didn’t know what I wanted to do after school or what degree I wanted to complete,” Abbey said.

“After graduating from Henry Kendall in 2014, an opportunity came up for me to try out as an aerial skier and the rest is history. It’s taken 10 years and a lot of ups and downs, injuries and challenges, but I finally made it to the Olympics.”

Abbey was cut from the Australian national aerial skiing team early in her career after struggling with the transition to more difficult double-twisting aerial jumps.

Instead of retiring, Abbey moved to Switzerland and trained with the Swiss aerials program to keep competing internationally and used this as a pathway to earn her way back onto the Australian squad.

Abbey persevered through major physical injuries and a missed Olympic selection to eventually become a World Cup medallist and made the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Students were encouraged by Abbey’s message about perseverance and backing yourself, even when others may not see your potential.

“I spent a lot of time with psychologists working with my anxiety and my fears,” Abbey said.

“Once I had a vision of where I wanted my life to go and where I wanted to be in my sport, I didn’t let anything get in the way of that.

“This is my passion and, even when there were others who didn’t believe in what I could do, I didn’t let that stop me. I am pretty resilient and I listen to my gut.”

After addressing the whole school community, Abbey spent time with the Year 11 and 12 Human Movement Science and Community and Family Studies students, sharing the realities of high-performance sport and the resilience needed to succeed.

During her presentation, Abbey shared details about her training routines, competition experiences, and the mental preparation necessary for elite performance.

Principal Andrew Backhouse said the school community was proud to welcome Abbey back and celebrate her achievements.

“We took great pleasure in celebrating Abbey’s achievements over in Milano and it is great to have her back as one of our alumnae,” Mr Backhouse said.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for our students to engage with someone who has overcome obstacles and gone on to compete at an elite level.

“Staff and students alike appreciate Abbey’s generosity in giving her time and words that resonated across the school.”