Kerri Pottharst, OAM
Kerri is a retired Australian Indoor & Beach Volleyball player. Her career spanned over an incredible 22 years including 3 Olympic Games, a Bronze Medal in Atlanta and the one many of us remember, the Gold on the sands of Bondi Beach in Australia at the 2000 Games. She is also an author, executive coach, athlete mentor, MC and a sought after Inspirational Speaker.
During her Beach Volleyball career, Kerri achieved 25 podium finishes over 10 years on the World Beach Volleyball Tour and has been inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Her service to sport in Australia was recognised with an Order of Australia medal and induction into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame. She was born in Adelaide, South Australia and currently resides in Sydney.
About Kerri
The Good Stuff
Three-time Olympian including Gold in Sydney 2000 and Bronze in Atlanta 1996
FIVB Beach Volleyball Team of the Decade 1990-2000 with Natalie Cook
Inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame 2007
Australian Volleyball Hall of Fame – Team of the Half Century with Natalie Cook – 2012
Sport Australia Hall of Fame - 2012
10 years Australian Indoor Volleyball Team 1982 – 1992
13 years Australian Beach Volleyball Team 1993 – 2006 including 9 consecutive years as the number 1 team
92 FIVB World Tour events - winning 2 Gold, 8 Silver and 10 Bronze medals
Sydney 2000 Olympics - world's fastest serve at 85km/ph
Atlanta 1996 Olympics - world's fastest serve at 75km/ph
World Champs 1999 – Gold – 4 x 4 with Natalie Cook, Pauline Manser and Angela Clarke
World Champs 1996 – Bronze (with Natalie Cook)
Goodwill Games 1998 – Silver (with Pauline Manser)
8 Australian National Titles
One of the South Australia Sport’s Institutes Best of the Best athletes over past 25 years - 2007
Since hanging up the bikinis in 2006
Inspirational Speaker (1998 – current) – Inspiring, motivating and educating 1000’s of people all over the world on HOW to succeed in all areas of their lives.
Professional speaking has provided Kerri with an incredible career since 1998 and she speaks, on average, once per fortnight throughout the country. 95% of her work is with the corporate world; the rest is made up of charity work for various organisations, sports teams and schools.
The Book – The Business of Being an Athlete – Published in 2009, sold over 5000 copies around the world.
Corporate Team Building and MC'ing (2001 – current) – Kerri has facilitated a wide variety of awards nights and sporting functions and corporate events as an MC and has run Corporate Team Building events both on and off the sand.
Presenting/Commentating
Commentary / Presenting
Olympics:
2024 Paris – Channel 9
2021 Tokyo – Channel 7
2016 Brazil – Live crosses for Channel 7
2012 London – Channel 9/Fox
2008 Beijing – Channel 7
National Beach Volleyball series almost every Summer since 2001
World Championship Men’s and Women’s Indoor events
Host of the Inside Volleyball program which ran throughout 2017
40 hours of Live Commentary for the Beach Volleyball at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
50 hours of Live Commentary for the Beach Volleyball at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Board Position – Director on the board of Volleyball Australia September 2015-2023
Athlete Mentoring
2018 – Gold Medal Alumni with the AIS Gold Medal Ready program helping educate and mentor current athletes going for Gold
2015 – Athlete mentor on tour for the UNIROOS at the World University Games
The Road to Gold
