HLB Mann Judd backs hurdler Sarah Carli in her Olympics pursuit
Accounting and consulting firm HLB Mann Judd is putting its support behind Wollongong-based financial adviser Sarah Carli as she competes in the 400 metre hurdles at the Paris Olympics.
Previously ranked within the world’s top 20, Sarah Carli will be hoping to go one better than in Tokyo, where a fifth-placed finish in the heats saw her miss out on a spot in the semis. The event is one of the most anticipated at this year’s Games.
Carli has been a member of HLB Mann Judd’s wealth management practice since 2021, having earlier completed a commerce degree in management and finance with the University of Wollongong while her athletics career was on hold.
“HLB Mann Judd is immensely proud of Sarah and her achievements,” said Australasian chair Tony Fittler, with the firm also providing Carli with corporate sponsorship. “We’re looking forward to cheering her on as she competes at her second Olympic Games at Paris 2024 and we wish her every success in what we expect will be some of the greatest races of her life.”
In a career marked by resilience and perseverance, Carli joined HLB following the Tokyo Games in 2021, which she qualified for despite suffering a serious, life-threatening training accident earlier in the year. There, she finished just one tenth of a second shy of moving through to the second round, but has since upped her personal best to become the third-fastest ever women in Australian hurdling history.
Previously, Carli has credited having an outside profession and regular routine for her improvement upon a promising junior athletics career which had stagnated. HLB also offers further support through its workplace flexibility, allowing Carli to train and compete while juggling her financial advisory responsibilities. Since joining, she has won a string of Australia and Oceania titles.
“Balancing work and life with elite sport has been very challenging; it has required some tough choices,” Carli stated. “HLB has been incredibly supportive and understands how important getting to the Paris Olympics is to me. I see Paris as the pinnacle of my track and field career, and I’m committed to giving it my absolute best. Afterwards I know I have an amazing job waiting for me at HLB.”
The women’s 400m hurdles event at this year’s Games is shaping up to be an absolute blockbuster, with defending Olympics champion and current world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States coming up against the effortlessly graceful emerging Dutch superstar Femke Bol, with the pair sharing 17 of the 20 fastest times in history over the distance.
