Exclusive interview: Chloe Covell and big Sister Brittany Broben on their journey to Paris 2024 Olympics
Brittany Broben and Chloe Covell look at each other before erupting into laughter.
The question being asked is whether the former diver and Olympic silver medallist would ever consider stepping onto a skateboard.
“Absolutely not,” the 28-year-old says resolutely. “No, I did 15 years of an extreme sport. No, I’m not even tempted.”
“Maybe this trip?” Covell asks with a wicked grin in between giggles.
“Maybe after Paris,” Broben concedes, smiling back as she gives way. “We’ll see after Paris.”
Sitting for a joint interview with Olympics.com during the last stages of the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, it’s hard not to be charmed by Broben and Covell.
The pair first met three years ago when Skate Australia brought Broben on board as a chaperone following new safeguarding measures designed to help support the young skaters in the team through the world of elite sport and contest environments.
Since then, the two have become inseparable. “I’m like a big sister,” says Broben.
It’s easy to see why Broben, now a retired athlete, was the ideal fit for the position. The Queenslander’s diving career began when she was just 11 years old and five short years later, she was the youngest athlete on the Australian Olympic Team at London 2012 when she brought home silver in the 10m platform.
The parallels between her and Covell, who first travelled abroad for an international skate contest at the age of 12 and will now compete in her first Olympic Games aged 14, are striking.
“Skate Australia thought, because of my background - I went to the Olympics as a minor myself - having that support would be beneficial because I know a little bit about high performance. So that’s my role, to look after the kids and have that safe space for them,” Broben explains, outlining her work.
“We didn’t necessarily have that back when I was a minor. So I think in itself is amazing to have that support. When I was younger, I didn’t have my parents to travel with; it was more just my coaches. So I think it’s really amazing what they’re trying to do. Having those sorts of people around the young athletes to keep them grounded, but also to have a safe person for them to feel comfortable in those environments, because the Olympic Games itself is like a massive environment. It’s not just skate, it’s everyone.
“So, I think having a person that, if they’re overwhelmed in that environment, they feel like they can come to, I think that’s a really big benefit for all the young athletes.”
Stronger together
Covell, sitting alongside Broben, nods as she listens. Her review of the Olympian is glowing.
“She’s an amazing person,” the young skateboarder says speaking of Broben. “She’s a really fun person to be around and she’s very helpful also.
“I can ask questions about the Olympics and stuff and she’s got the answers.”
Outside the complexities of competition and the bustling contest environment, Broben also helps Covell step back from it all.
“We like to wind down,” the former diver explains. “And winding down can consist of the highs and lows of the day, what we sort of want for tomorrow and things like that. But also just having that quiet time to sort of think about what we’ve done and look towards tomorrow. Really, we just like to wind down and take a breath.”
For an energetic Covell, known for having once brought a karaoke machine to camp, the process has become something she really values.
“I try my best to chill out; be a bit quieter,” she said with a smile. “I think about the day; think of things that were good, [that were] bad and what you can do to make it better.
“Just before Shanghai, I started writing things down because I wanted to be more organised and just wanted not to fluke everything. And just have something that I could actually look at.”
Covell continued: “Last night, we were having some very good chats. We were all winding down in Brittany’s room. I was writing some stuff in my book and we were just talking about positive things, telling each other quotes.
“What to put energy into, what not put energy into,” Broben added.
“Yeah sometimes you don’t need to put energy into things that you don’t have to,” Covell said, responding to Broben, “You just put your energy into good things.”
Having known Covell now for the best part of three years, Broben has had a unique view of the young teenager’s record-breaking rise.
At 13, Covell became the youngest women’s street gold medallist in X Games history after having already been the youngest athlete to win two X Games medals before the age of 13.
Since then, she has added other prestigious titles to her name including a world silver medal in 2023.
For all that she has achieved Broben is immensely proud but that which most impresses the Australian is Covell’s composure through it all. And now, 12 years after winning her own piece of Olympic hardware, Broben will get to be there supporting Covell as she takes her turn competing on the biggest sporting stage of them all.
“Watching her in the last three years, how she’s growing up, how she handles the environment, I think, myself having been through highs and lows in sports and now seeing Chloe go through her highs and lows… I think watching her grow up in the last three years has been really amazing, and having that opportunity to even be there - it’s been really cool."