Five years later, students at Collier’s alma mater, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College in Bentleigh in Melbourne’s east, will be watching her when she is the first member of the 15-strong Australian Olympic Shooting Team in action when she contests the women’s 10m Air Rifle tomorrow morning. 

Other athletes in action tomorrow will be big, bearded Dan Repacholi, who lines up for his fifth Olympic campaign when he takes aim in the men’s 10m Air Pistol, and another Games debutant in Katarina Kowplos who will compete in the women’s 10m Air Rifle along with Collier. 

It has been a remarkable journey for Collier to reach the Tokyo Olympics – one which seemed impossible 10 years ago. 

An excellent junior cricketer where she played in boy’s teams, Collier suffered a fractured skull after a ball was accidently thrown into her skull during a fielding drill setting off a chain of medical setbacks. 

She initially lost her sight, which thankfully returned a few days later, but she was left with a severe headache and had difficulty conversing, reading a book, concentrating at school and even holding a pen. 

Then 12 months later, Collier’s right arm began shaking uncontrollably.  

For six months, she temporarily lost the sight and hearing in her right eye and ear, her sense of smell and taste disappeared, and her right eye lid would not open unless it was manually peeled back. 

Eventually, these functions returned.  

Collier has tried a wide range of oral medications and other treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga and Pilates to help rid her of the continuous headache. However, none have worked. A permanent 24/7 headache remains. 

Looking desperately for a remedy to assist his daughter, Collier’s dad Peter suggested in late 2014 that she try Shooting as a form of rehabilitation. He hoped the focus and concentration required to shoot may ease her persistent headaches. And it has worked, to a point.   

“It’s not fixed my headaches. But for the split second that I need to, I can forget about it. It’s there, but it’s not on my mind,” said Collier. 

But what is on her mind now is competing at the Tokyo Olympics after winning selection in April last year. 

“I’m really excited. It’s been a long process,” said Collier.

“The excitement kind of wore off there for a little bit when things got serious with the world. But being here and being in this atmosphere is pretty amazing,” she said. 

“Being such a sports fans and watching the Olympics forever, it’s something that I could ever conceive could happen to me. It’s mind blowing.” 

Collier is unfazed at being the first Australian in competition. 

“I’m just going out to do my best and have fun. Whatever happens, happens,” she said. 

While Collier is an Olympic rookie, Repacholi is Australia’s most experienced athlete. 

Repacholi is looking to another Olympic program which will also see him compete alongside Dina Aspandiyarova in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Teams next week. 

“I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it,” he said. 

“I’m ready, I’ve done the right work and have all the right training behind me. I’m ready to go and I’m ready to compete,” said Repacholi. 

The women’s 10m Air Rifle is the first of three events for Kowplos. 

She will also contest the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event and is paired with Dane Sampson in the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Teams event. 

Tomorrow’s women’s 10m Air Rifle qualification round commences at 8.30am with the final at 10.45am. 

The men’s 10m Air Pistol qualification round starts at 1.00pm followed by the final at 3.30pm. 

All times are Tokyo time.