24 January 2025
As fate would have it, Captain Olivia Miley-Dyer found herself sitting in her car in the Canadian Rockies when she conducted her first Invictus Games interview.
Fast forward several months, and the Australian Army officer is now gearing up for a return to Canada as one of 33 competitors selected to represent Team Australia at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025.
Like her teammates, the 31-year-old Sydney native’s road to the games has not been an easy one.
Diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2022, Captain Miley-Dyer endured lengthy surgery and systemic radiation only to learn, during her yearly scans, that the cancer had metastasised to her lungs.
Confronting as this diagnosis was, she had to complete her original treatment during a global pandemic, which impacted how her family could care for her when she needed their support most. She also had to self-manage heightened stress levels when she eventually came down with COVID-19.
“It was a tough time; very isolating and stressful,” admitted Captain Miley-Dyer, who thanks her twin, Phoebe, for encouraging her to see a doctor after she noticed a lump and swelling in her sister’s neck.
“Thank goodness I have run and swam my whole life and have always trained and eaten well. I feel like I've prepared my body as best I can to endure whatever comes.”
'I have to stop comparing myself to my pre-cancer levels of fitness and just learn to have fun and not worry about where I come, or what time I do, as much as I used to when I was obsessively training and competing.'
That said, this naturally competitive high achiever has been forced to show herself grace – and that is a work in progress.
“When I was at high school, I ran at a national level. I played water polo at a national level. I surfed competitively, just like my sisters (Phoebe and older sister, Jessi),” explained Captain Miley-Dyer, who worked at the United Nations before joining Defence in 2017.
“They were always naturally better than me at sport – the only way I could beat them at little athletics was to run until my feet bled.
“The reality is I’ve lost a lifetime of sport, health and fitness, so I’ve had to slowly reintegrate back into training, doing a bit of gym and a return-to-run program. But it’s three steps forward and 10 steps backwards.”
Captain Miley-Dyer said she needed to focus on changing her mindset and worrying less about what place she gets.
“I have to stop comparing myself to my pre-cancer levels of fitness and just learn to have fun and not worry about where I come, or what time I do, as much as I used to when I was obsessively training and competing,” she said.
“I’ve got a Captain Marvel watch, and it says ‘higher, further, faster’. That needs to be my new motto. I can relate to her and those other characters because I feel like they have a sense of self, and then they go through trauma or huge change and have to rebuild themselves. That’s what I have to do at the moment.
“It’s really only this year I've realised that I actually have to rebuild and that it's not just a temporary thing. My illness is going to have long-term consequences that I will have to manage.”
'I feel the people in this team want to lift you up. I mean, they’re so inspiring as individuals with their own stories of resilience and determination.'
Being surrounded by people who can relate to what she is going through is proving beneficial as well.
“It’s been good to be back in a team and be with people who understand how all-encompassing an injury or illness can be; who appreciate that long-term focus you need to get better,” she said.
“I feel the people in this team want to lift you up. I mean, they’re so inspiring as individuals with their own stories of resilience and determination – collectively they’re amazing. It is humbling to see what the human character is able to achieve.”
Her sisters and parents, Graeme and Jenny, will support Captain Miley-Dyer when she competes in swimming, sitting volleyball, biathlon and indoor rowing events at Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler from February 8 to 16.
The games are a testament to the transformative power of sport in the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and ill current and former-serving servicemen and women.
