Football star Hannah Wilkinson: Combining her passions of art and sport

When she is not scoring goals for Melbourne City and New Zealand, Hannah Wilkinson can often be found creating masterpieces.

The three-time Olympian has been an artist since before the start of a football career which has taken her around the world.

As a member of the IOC's Olympian Artists programme, Wilkinson contributed to the Olympic Agora exhibition showcased in Tokyo's Mitsokoshimae metro station before, during and after the 2020 Games in 2021.

Last year, she was commissioned to create a mural at Auckland's Eden Park national stadium celebrating the three women's World Cups being staged in New Zealand in 2022 and 2023.

She hopes to be participating in the third of them, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, this July and August.

Speaking exclusively to Olympics.com, she talked about her two passions and how one helps with the other.

Hannah Wilkinson: "My art has really saved me in a lot of ways"

Now 31, Wilkinson's career has seen her move to the University of Tennessee and then Sweden, Portugal and Germany before her transfer to Australian A-League side Melbourne City in August 2021.

But her artwork remains a constant and has "really provided a reset or a sort of a nice balance to the high pressure" she experienced as a footballer.

"There are times where football's really tough, the pressure's high and maybe I'm injured -I've been through several injuries as well. And that's where my art has really saved me in a lot of ways."

Not least when she suffered a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament in October 2018 and somehow managed to recover in time for the following year's World Cup.

"It saved me from going insane because it is a very tedious experience. I really pushed my body to my limits to make that World Cup, and it was the most difficult period physically and mentally, I think."

Wilkinson actually took up art before football, saying, "When I was very young, I started both of those journeys and I fell in love with both of them.

"I love to capture action as much as possible and in detail. I'm very inspired by anime. Growing up, I used to watch a lot of Dragon Ball Z with my brothers and I guess if I'm really kind of inspired by something, I create lots of work and I just don't stop."

So when the IOC was looking for artworks for the Tokyo Games, Wilkinson was an obvious person to approach.

"The IOC came to me before Tokyo 2020. There's a lot of Olympian artists out there, it turns out. They wanted some designs that sort of captured Olympic athletes and the struggle with having to train through COVID, and the fact that they were in Japan.

"I submitted my proposal and they loved it and I got the opportunity to create some work. It was supposed to be a mural or a set of murals in the Tokyo subway station, but COVID landed and we couldn't get over there. So fortunately, I could do it digitally - a lot of what I do now is digital - and I created some amazing Noren Curtain designs that are now hanging up in the (Olympic) museum. It was just such cool opportunity and I was so, so stoked with that.

"I wanted to symbolise Japan in a lot of ways and also bring to life the new sports that were introduced into the Olympics, skateboarding being one and surfing being one, which I particularly enjoyed because I like to do both of those things.

"Even when I went to Tokyo with Team New Zealand, I couldn't get out and see the the works. But what I loved is that I was getting tagged by strangers posting about them because I had my Instagram handle at the bottom of each work. And so I'd look at my phone and all these people were taking photos of my stuff where they were up displayed. Oh, it was just so cool. Seeing that was amazing."

Life as an Olympian Artist - where creativity meets sport

Wilkinson is one of a number of Olympian Artists which she believes is a great initiative.

She says, "I think it humanises athletes in a really special way, because not only are you seeing how athletically impressive these people are but also artistically special as well.

"It allows people to see more of the athlete and more of why they are probably so good at their sport as well. There's a lot to sport that requires creativity. And I think the artist program helps kind of people understand that about athletes, which I think is awesome.

"It's really, really meaningful. Being showcased not just as an athlete but as an artist as well is truly special."

And the commissions keep coming with Melbourne City asking her to create a mural celebrating their men's top goalscorer Jamie Maclaren.

Wilkinson, who is the club's leading goalscorer among women, designed it at home before helping bring it to life.

Most recently, the IOC approached Wilkinson to create works surrounding eSports, something she was very happy to do.

"I was stoked with that opportunity. That's such a culture of pop culture and anime and, you know, I used to game a little bit with my brothers, so I know the culture and I know what the art is around that and the shapes and the characters and all of it. So I've been working on that and it's just been so enjoyable.

"I love projects where I kind of have free rein with it. That's always the best kind of project I can have, as there's not really many constraints."

In her successful career on two fronts, the next big milestone is her fourth FIFA Women's World Cup being co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

She reflected, "Football has been my life's work. It's been my priority and what I've been working towards since I was started kicking the ball at eight years old. So to see that hard work pay off and to be representing my country in that many major events is just massive.

"And I'm just really grateful, especially going through so many injuries during my career as well. It's pretty special and I'm really stoked that I didn't give up."