Bridie O’DonnellDirector, Office for Women in Sport and Recreation

Dr Bridie O’Donnell graduated Valedictorian from the University of Queensland Medical School and won the J R S Lahz Prize for the Most Outstanding Intern in Brisbane in 1999.

As a junior doctor, she competed first in rowing, winning State Championships and National Championships, and then in Ironman Triathlon. In 2006, Bridie finished Ironman Austria, Ironman Hawaii and rode a bike course record at Busselton Ironman.

In 2007, Dr O’Donnell transferred to road cycling and won Australian Championships, Oceania Championships, raced in the AIS National team in Europe and professional European teams from 2008-2012 and represented Australia at three Road World Championships.

Dr O’Donnell returned to full time work in 2013, starting at Epworth HealthCheck and teaching doctor-patient communication at Deakin University Medical School. In 2014, Bridie took on an inaugural role as a breast physician at the Epworth Breast Service.

From 2013-2016, she managed and raced for a women’s cycling team in Australia, coordinating commercial sponsors, team owners, riders and race organisers to successes and race wins over four seasons.

She is the ‘Medical Expert’ Network Ten’s The Project, and frequently commentates bike racing on SBS for National and World Road Cycling Championships.

In 2016, she broke the UCI Women’s Hour World Record, riding 46.882km at sea level at the Adelaide SuperDrome.

In 2017 Bridie was appointed the inaugural head of the Victorian Government's Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, and in 2018 her story ‘Life and Death - a cycling memoir’ was published.