At just 16 years old, Ellie Beer, a 400-meter runner, was already making waves in the world of Australian sprinting by breaking her personal best (PB) and achieving remarkable feats. However, the pressure to sustain such high performance became overwhelming for her. “It felt like I was constantly in the spotlight,” Beer recalled in an interview with ABC Sport. “I sensed the expectations from others and felt compelled to meet them, believing that each race had to be a personal best to be deemed acceptable.”
It took five long years for Beer to surpass her 2019 PB of 52.53 seconds. Reflecting on her journey, she admitted, “There were times I questioned if I would ever improve. I thought perhaps I had peaked at 16.” These feelings led her to consider stepping away from the sport altogether.
The shift from junior to senior competition, typically occurring around the ages of 17 to 19, proved to be particularly challenging for Beer. “I had set my benchmarks extremely high, expecting to consistently run in the 52-second range, but the pressure made it difficult to achieve that,” she explained. This mental strain often led her to overthink her races, worrying about physical challenges before they even arose. “I would stress about how the lactic acid would hit me in the final stretch, and that anxiety affected my performance,” she added.
Throughout this challenging period, Beer found support in her coach and her team. “In the back of my mind, I knew I didn’t want to abandon the sport, yet I often felt like giving up,” she noted. “Deep down, I understood my passion for the sport remained strong.”
Physically, Beer is hard to overlook—standing over 1.8 meters tall with striking blonde hair and a bright smile. She also sports distinctive arm sleeves that help her focus before competitions. “My coach always tells me to wear my arm sleeves because they make me feel fierce and ready to compete,” she shared.
Now at 23, Beer has evolved significantly from the promising teenager who first burst onto the scene. Her breakthrough moment came during the 2019 Queensland Track Classic, where she clocked a personal best of 52.53 seconds, securing her place in the Australian 4 x 400m relay team for the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships, making her the youngest Australian ever selected for the event.
Her outstanding performance also contributed to Australia qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, fulfilling her Olympic dream at the age of 18. Post-Tokyo, Beer claimed the national senior 400m title in 2022 and finished seventh in the 400m final at the World Under 20 Championships. Despite her accolades, she struggled to achieve new personal bests, feeling the weight of expectations heavily on her shoulders. “I often found myself fixated on delivering a flawless performance, sometimes for the sake of others,” she explained.
By the age of 21, after five years on the international stage, Beer recognized the need for a shift in her approach. With the Paris Olympics on the horizon in 2024, she experienced a change in mindset, aided by a supportive team that included a wellbeing coach, a psychologist, and her long-time coach, Brett Robinson. “He has been an incredible source of support, especially during times of self-doubt. I see him as family rather than just a coach,” she remarked.
The strategies they implemented were straightforward yet effective. “While nerves are always present, I’ve learned to reframe my mindset towards them,” Beer stated. “I’ve learned to channel my anxiety positively and embrace the discomfort that comes with racing.” This change allowed her to detach her identity from race outcomes, saying, “I’ve realized that while I am Ellie Beer the athlete, I am also Ellie Beer the daughter, a coffee lover, a social individual, and a friend.” She emphasized that a single poor performance doesn’t define her; instead, she focuses on the next opportunity.
Her new perspective has yielded positive results. In 2024, Beer broke her personal best drought at the Adelaide Invitational, clinched the national 400m title, and earned the Oceania 400m title, culminating in another PB at the Paris Olympics. In 2025, she secured her third national title and reduced her PB to 51.3 seconds while also winning a bronze medal in the relay at the World Indoor Championships. This year, she achieved her fourth national title, was named Oceania Champion again, and recently contributed to the success of the mixed and women’s relay teams in qualifying for the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
Looking ahead, Beer has set her sights on running the 400m in under 51 seconds. “This has been my goal for the past few years, and while we haven’t achieved it yet, I’m pleased with my progress,” she said. “To qualify for major teams in Australia, a time of 50.7 seconds is required. If I can break the 50-second barrier, I will be over the moon. But I’ve come to appreciate that even achieving a personal best is a significant accomplishment.” Despite the persistent nerves that come with competition, Beer remains focused on her journey ahead.
