A front-row seat at the world’s greatest sporting events is one of the most enviable perks of the job for award-winning journalist and UQ alum Louise Evans, OAM (Bachelor of Journalism '82).
Ask her about her favourite live sporting moments and she’ll reel off a historic list of victories she’s witnessed, including current tennis world number one Jannik Sinner and the legendary Steffi Graf, Olympic sprint god Usain Bolt, the incredible American gold-medal swimming machine Michael Phelps and Australia’s own queen of the track Cathy Freeman.
Not surprisingly given her background, Evans is known as a pioneer for women in the sports media. She was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald in 1987 and she was appointed as the first female sports editor at The Australian in 2001. During her career she’s worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years) in London, Beijing and Sydney.
Louise Evans with the Olympic torch at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and trackside in the main stadium at the 2012 London Olympics. Image supplied
In addition to her extensive Olympic experience, she’s also reported on 6 Commonwealth Games so far and numerous international sporting championships and tennis grand slams. Plus, in 2019, she created and launched #WISPAA – the annual Women in Sport Photo Action Awards, now in its 6th year.
In 2019, she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
Right now, Evans is getting ready to travel to Paris to cover her 7th Olympics as the Editor at Large for Sportshounds – Australia’s premier website for Olympic stories. As Evans will also be covering some Olympic events featuring UQ alumni athletes for UQ’s Contact magazine and social channels, we asked her ahead of departure about her experiences and highlights while reporting on global sporting events.
Read the Q&A with Evans below.
Just some of Louise Evans' favourite sporting moments she has reported on during her career. Images: Streeter Lecka/Ian MacNicol/Mark Sandten/Bongarts/Getty Images
Q: Which Olympics Games have you covered, and which was your favourite?
A: I’ve covered 6 Olympics so far: Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Paris 2024 will be my 7th.
Ranking them, it would have to be:
1. Sydney because you can’t beat a home Olympics and Cathy Freeman’s 400 metre race stopped the nation.
2. London was a brilliant boutique Games, plus there were amazing gold-medal performances from Aussie Amazons Cate Campbell, Anna Meares and Sally Pearson.
3. Barcelona was my first Olympics, which featured a Spanish summer, a stunning location and Kieren Perkins following in the wake of Australian freestyle legends Boy Charlton, Murray Rose and Jon Konrads by winning gold in the 1500 metres.
Q: What have been your most memorable Olympic or sporting moments?
A: Legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps collecting the greatest medal haul ever by a single athlete at an Olympics by winning 8 golds in 2008 in Beijing – every event he entered – and breaking world records in 7 of them. Usain Bolt winning the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Cathy Freeman triumphing in the 400 metres at the Sydney Olympics. Kieren Perkins winning gold in the 1500 metres freestyle at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Steffi Graf securing her 7th Wimbledon title in 1996.
Q: Who has been your favourite athlete to interview?
A: Cathy Freeman. Some journalists say Freeman is a bad interview because she doesn’t say much, but that’s because she’s shy. She’s a lion on the track and a lamb in a crowd. I was lucky enough to follow Freeman’s career from a giggling 16-year-old, who won a 100 metres relay gold medal at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, to a 400-metre gold medallist in the race of the Games at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – 10 amazing years. Get Freeman on her own and she’s considered, clever, kind and entertaining. But because she always has a crowd around her, you don’t often see that side of her, even now. She’s a national treasure – trust me.
AAP sports journalists Margie McDonald (left) and Louise Evans at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and Louise with writers and photographers from The Australian and News Ltd outside the Birdcage swimming venue at the 2008 Beijing Games. Images: supplied
Q: Describe what it’s like on the ground as a reporter at an Olympics?
A: Covering an Olympics is the greatest challenge you’ll ever face. Sixteen days of continuous world-class competition, 22 venues across greater Paris alone, 32 sports, 329 events, around 10,500 athletes who are the best in the world. Forget sleep. The pressure and pace are relentless. Pre-Games research is the key to performing at your peak, and surviving, and enjoying it. You need to know before the Games start where you need to be on any day at any given time. You need to know who’s likely to win in your key events so you know who are the surprises and shocks. And if things don’t go to plan and a medal favourite loses en route to a final, you need to have a plan B so you can pivot quickly. Your equipment needs to work and you need back-ups that are fully charged. You need to be fit, smart, quick and mobile. You need to be kind. You need to be human. All your senses need to be on 10.
"The atmosphere is exhilarating. Sixteen days of constant goosebumps. There is no greater challenge as a sports journalist. It’s the most exhilarating career experience. And most memorable too. Expect to collapse when you cross the finish line."
Q: Which event are you looking forward to most during the Paris Olympics, or which athlete are most looking forward to seeing perform?
A: The coliseum event is the projected semi-final between Australia and France in the women’s Rugby Sevens. France is a rugby colossus, and the games are being held in the iconic Stade de France in Paris. It’ll be packed with 80,000 (predominantly French) fans baying for blood. It will be epic. There could be riots outside the stadium if France loses. Oi Oi Oi!
The clash in the pool between world freestyle Amazons Ariane Titmus (Australia), Katie Ledecky (United States) and Summer McIntosh (Canada). Who rises will set the tone for the rest of the Olympics.
The clash on the track in the 400 metres hurdles between world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) and Dutch world champion Femke Bol. You won’t see two more beautiful-striding titans.
Watch the men’s 1500 metres and 5000 metres track events to see Nordic god Jakob Ingebrigtsen in action. He’s got more personality, confidence, tattoos and superpowers than Thor. Ingebrigtsen says the Paris Olympics will be “a piece of cake”, but didn’t French Queen Marie Antoinette lose her head after saying something like that? What’s more, there’s a warring world 1500-metre champion Scot called Josh Kerr hunting for Ingebrigsten’s head in the metric mile. Bring it on.
Q: Any advice for budding sports journalists?
A: Listen. Sports journalism is about telling great stories about amazing super humans. You have to listen to what athletes are saying and, sometimes, what they are not saying. No one is interested in the “we’re just playing it one game at a time” rubbish. If you want to get to the heart of the story, to the heart of the athlete, do your research, know your athlete. Don’t be afraid to ask the BIG question – What went wrong out there today? Ask questions that go to the heart of the athlete – Are you suffering? You look like you are about to cry? We’re all human. I’ve had athletes cry all over me. Sometimes in the moment I cried too. It can be contagious. Just keep listening through the tears.
