Former Australian lacrosse star eyes Olympic comeback

TORQUAY mother-of-two Marlee Wood hopes her pursuit of an Olympic dream will inspire other women to believe it’s never too late to return to sport.

The pilates instructor is chasing a place in Australia’s lacrosse team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games following the birth of her second child.

The former Australian representative and World Cup medallist will travel to the United States next month for an Olympic pathway training camp as she continues her push for selection.

Woods stepped away from elite lacrosse after a decorated career that included two World Cups and four years of US college competition, choosing instead to focus on starting a family.

But the announcement that lacrosse would return to the Olympic program in Los Angeles reignited her ambitions.

“It was the backend of 2024 and I didn’t think I had any chance,” Wood said. “As I got speaking to more people, I thought maybe I could give it a crack.”

Wood first picked up a lacrosse stick at the Newport Lacrosse Club in Melbourne when she was five years old, following in the footsteps of her family’s long involvement in the sport.

She represented Victoria from the age of 14 before earning Australian under-19 honours and later claiming World Cup silver in Prague in 2009 and bronze in Canada in 2013.

Her success earned her an athletic scholarship to Loyola University near Baltimore, Maryland, where she played for four years and captained the side for two seasons.

 

Returning to the national setup, Wood was invited to one of Australia’s first invitational camps but was unable to attend because she had a three-month-old baby.

She formally joined the national program the following year when she was selected in the 30-player Australian Sixes squad.

Just 12 players will be selected in Australia’s Olympic team, with Wood hoping her experience will work in her favour.

“It’ll come down to what the coaches are wanting, but I’m just scratching that itch at the moment and loving being back in the high performance arena,” she said.

Wood said balancing elite sport with work and raising two children would be impossible without the support of those around her.

“We’ve got a great village around us in Torquay who have been an amazing support,” she said.

“It’s certainly busy balancing work, children, lacrosse and life, but I love it.”

“I want to inspire other mums that you can still have these goals and achieve your sporting dreams.

“My children get a lot of enjoyment out of watching me play, and I just want to do them proud.”