From Olympic glory to Dubai ventures: Stephanie Rice's inspiring journey

Stephanie Rice remembers the exact second her life changed. “When I turned around, saw the scoreboard and my name with a flashing world record sign, the first feeling wasn’t joy, it was relief,” she says. Relief that the years of pre-dawn starts, seven-hour training days and relentless discipline had delivered what every child athlete dreams of: Olympic gold.

At just 20, she left the pool deck in Beijing with three gold medals and a world record. Only later, when the cameras were gone and the adrenaline settled, did she grasp the full weight of what she’d achieved. “A couple of weeks later I began to understand the impact and the responsibility that comes with such an achievement,” she explains. “It’s not just about the medals, it’s about what they represent.”

Early lessons

The path to those medals wasn’t paved with easy victories. Rice points to one early crossroads in Grade 12 that most people never hear about. The Australian Olympic trials coincided with her school formal, the kind of milestone classmates had anticipated for months. “I had to choose,” she recalls. “I chose the trials.”

That night she missed the qualifying time by just 0.04 of a second. No team, no formal. “People see the medals, but they don’t see those moments. For me, they weren’t sacrifices so much as choices. Getting up at 4:48 every morning when it’s cold and every excuse to stay in bed runs through your mind, those daily choices are what build mental confidence. They assure you you’ve done everything possible to compete with the best.”

Those choices forged a discipline that would later define her career. And they set the tone for the resilience she would need not only to reach the top but to walk away from it.

Stepping away

Rice surprised many when she retired at 24. For most athletes at her level, that’s barely mid-career. But her perspective is different. “I’d been training as a professional since about 14. Ten years at that level is a long time,” she says. “Seven hours a day, six days a week, fifty weeks a year, it doesn’t feel like you’re stepping away early. It feels like you’ve reached capacity.”

The toll on her body was real: three shoulder surgeries, bouts of glandular fever and adrenal fatigue. By the close of the London Olympics she felt, in her words, “mentally, physically and spiritually done.” There’s no regret in her voice, only clarity. “I’d given absolutely everything and felt a sense of peace knowing I couldn’t have given more. Of course I’d love to have performed better in my last Olympics and avoided injuries, but there are things you just can’t control. Stepping away gave me space to move on emotionally and find my identity outside of sport. That chapter was really challenging, but also necessary.”

Ask Rice who kept her grounded through those intense years and she answers without hesitation. “My coach, Michael Bohl, was the biggest influence on me,” she says. “He wasn’t just my coach; he was my psychologist, counsellor, mentor.” Bohl understood that Rice needed more than physical preparation. “He knew I had to be aligned emotionally, physically and spiritually to perform at my best. Without Bohly, I don’t believe I would have been able to stand on top of the podium.”

New directions

Life after the Olympic spotlight demanded a different kind of discipline. Rice earned a Master of Business Administration, a shift that moved her beyond the familiar terrain of media and ambassador roles. “It marked the transition into more corporate and government consulting opportunities,” she says. “That change was a big reason I decided to move to Dubai. The city offers so many exciting roles and opportunities, and I wanted to be part of an environment that’s innovative and forward-thinking, that truly values people with expertise.”

Dubai quickly became more than a career move. “What I love about being here in the UAE is knowing that anything is possible and that opportunities can progress quickly when things are aligned,” she says. “Now that I’ve found a great community of friends here, my husband and I really feel that this is home.”

Professionally, she continues to broaden her skills, exploring sponsorships, technology and the fast-evolving world of AI. “I’m excited to keep growing my own capabilities and contributing in those areas,” she says.

My Swim Club

Rice’s new venture takes her back to the water with a clear sense of purpose. She leads My Swim Club, a programme created to save lives through water-safety training, build confidence through learn-to-swim education and nurture future champions at every age.

“Growing up in Australia, where learning to swim is compulsory because of all the beaches, lakes, pools and rivers, I know first-hand how critical water safety is,” she says. Those early lessons turned her into “such a water baby,” and gave her the confidence and joy she still associates with the pool. Learning to swim, she adds, “isn’t just a sport, it’s a life skill every child needs.”

Now living in Dubai, she sees the same abundance of beaches and pools, and the same potential for families to enjoy the water, if they have the right foundation. Without proper teaching and awareness, she warns, there is real risk. Every child, she believes, deserves to feel safe and confident in the water and every parent should have the comfort of knowing their children can enjoy the city’s outdoor lifestyle without fear.

For youngsters who show natural talent, Rice draws on her own career to guide parents. Spotting ability is easy, she explains, but the physical side is only one part of the equation. She encourages children to keep exploring multiple sports until their early teens and to resist choosing a main event too soon. Waiting until 13, 14 or even 15 to specialise, she says, gives them time to build skills across all strokes and distances. “That broader foundation is so important for long-term development,” she notes. “You never want to place too much pressure on a child too soon. That’s what leads to burnout and plateau. Keeping swimming fun in the early years is what sets them up not just to excel physically, but to stay motivated and love the sport as they grow.”