While commitment to training and the ability to perform under pressure are important, there are so many other factors that determine the outcome of each race.

It's a lesson the 26-year-old first learned as a teenaged member of the Illawarra Academy of Sport, the organisation laying the foundation for her success as an adult.

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"Early on they exposed to me the importance of the things you do outside sport," Carli said. "Nutrition, sleep, media, at the time you think it's not important, now I know they're a big part of it.

"Learning those skills early has allowed me to develop them as I've kept going."

The Academy hosts an impressive track record in producing Olympic athletes.

Nine IAS graduates competed in Tokyo, including golden girl Emma McKeon and teenage skater Kieran Woolley.

The organisation is on the lookout for the next generation of stars, with scholarship applications open for the upcoming year.

IAS chief executive John Armstrong said the Academy's results speak for themselves and he's looking forward to mentoring another crop of talented teenagers throughout the next 12 months.

"The beauty of the Academy is we know our stuff around athlete development in this age group," Armstrong said.

"This is a superb opportunity to provide strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, a whole host of skills athletes need as they develop."

While the coronavirus lockdown has decimated sport in the Illawarra, it hasn't stopped the Academy from maintaining its focus on athlete development.

The organisation features 10 sports, along with the lonestar program for youngsters who's chosen sport lies outside that group.

For hockey captain Charli Corbin, the IAS has been crucial throughout the past 18 months and she hopes to use the training programs as a platform for higher representative honours.

"It's a program that how much work you put in determines what you'll get back," Corbin said. "Lockdown or not, they'll facilitate training as much as they can and support you.

"It really shows with all the things they've done for us this past year. It's an opportunity that you can take wherever you like."

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