Five years ago Ellie Carpenter was still in high school, but while others her age were worried about grades and socialising, the Australia fullback was chasing sporting immortality at the Olympic Games. Aged just 16, Carpenter was not only the youngest in the nearly 500-strong Australian Olympic team, but became the youngest ever footballer from any nation to feature at a Women’s Olympic Football Tournament when she took the field at Rio 2016. Fast forward five years and though still only 21, Carpenter is heading into her second Olympic Games having spent the past year impressing for French superclub Olympique Lyonnais. A highly-promising long-distance runner in her school days, Carpenter shapes as an archetypal modern fullback with her boundless energy allowing for countless forays in attack. Five years ago in Rio, the Matildas missed a place in the medal round by the narrowest of margins after being on the wrong end of an epic penalty shoot-out against Brazil at a heaving Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. The Aussies attempt to go one step further at Tokyo 2020 is, however, far from straight forward. A talent-laden Group G also includes fellow top-10 nations USA and Sweden, as well as 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ co-hosts New Zealand. Ahead of Wednesday’s opening action, FIFA.com spoke to Carpenter about how the Matildas are shaping under new coach Tony Gustavsson, her personal development since Rio and some Olympic memories.

FIFA.com: What did you find exciting about the Olympic experience in Rio that is different to a normal football tournament? Ellie Carpenter: Everyone knows about the Olympics, the whole world stops for it and every country is competing across all the sports. It is very cool to say you are an Olympian – not many can say they are and that makes me so proud. Thinking back five years ago just before Rio, how does your mindset compare now going into Tokyo? It is a lot different. I was very young heading into the last Olympics and looking back now I have such different thoughts coming into the tournament. Having been in the team for a quite a while now, I have a lot more experience and I feel a lot more confident that I can give a more to the team. What is the mood among the Australian squad heading into the Olympics after a challenging couple of months? The mood among the squad is really good. We had a really good chunk of time together pre-Olympics, we know exactly what we need to do and we have a good philosophy under our new coach. The vibe in the squad is strong, we are in good spirits and we can’t wait to kick it off. Winning an Olympic medal would be unique for Australian football, how much does that ambition drive the team? Winning an Olympic medal is our dream and our goal. That ambition to be Olympic champions would mean so much to us, our country and to Australian football. We hope we can inspire the next set of Olympians as well.

What can fans expect from the Matildas under new coach Tony Gustavsson? The fans can expect to see a nice dynamic playing style under Tony. We are adapting to this new style and I think it brings out the best in the team and the players’ respective qualities and I’m really excited heading into this tournament. In terms of club football, how have you enjoyed your first season playing for such a massive club as Lyon? I have really enjoyed my time at Lyon since joining the club this time last year and I have grown on and off the field. Lyon is such an amazing team and I have learnt that winning mentality that I have now adapted to. I’m so grateful to be part of the team and I’m learning every day. The experience has been excellent and I can’t wait for more and to further develop as a player. What are your earliest memories of the Olympics? My first memory of the Olympics is Sally Pearson winning the (100m hurdles) gold medal in 2012. I remember watching with my family in the middle of the night and that really inspired me to want to go an Olympic Games. Did you have any particularly favourite Olympic athletes from any sport or any country? I would say (gymnast) Simone Biles who is incredible in her sport and has stayed at the top for so long. I remember watching her at Rio 2016 which was incredible - she is such a phenomenal athlete.