Ceilidh Marigold is one of 10 survivalists set to compete in Season 3 of Alone Australia, which premieres March 26 on SBS and SBS On Demand.
Hearing wasn't an option for Marigold, née O’Sullivan, at least not from the outset when social isolation was one of several setbacks facing the Queensland native.
Communication and education barriers, too, made life difficult for the now 34-year-old, but they were experiences she views differently in retrospect.
“I’m really happy and humbled to have had those challenges to create who I am today,” Marigold told SBS Sport.
“I would call it ‘Deaf gain’, I gained a lot from being Deaf. Some of the things can be, like, not being able to hear noises at night so I can sleep like a log!
“That’s one of the things and among many others like being more resilient and resourceful in how to manage life.”
BMX racing was another positive for Marigold, who first discovered the sport as a nine-year-old in primary school.
Its high-speed nature left parents Carmel and Wayne understandably apprehensive at first, but as Marigold’s passion grew so, too, did their support - culminating in competitive club racing a year later.
“It’s a dangerous sport for sure, but I think I love the thrill, I was very daring,” she said.
“I was very competitive; I did not have a lot of fear so I would just go as fast as I could on the bike.
“I had many, many accidents; fractured bones, knocks on the head … for my parents, they would always have heart-attacks.”
Marigold would compete for seven years before stepping away from the sport altogether in 2006, when her father turned BMX coach passed away after a battle with leukaemia.
Racing wasn’t the same after that, not without the man who taught Marigold everything she knew - the man who would tap the beeps on her shoulder before the start of junior races; someone she considered her ‘best mate’ and "the reason why I succeeded in a lot of races”.
Such a difficult time was made easier by the support of the BMX community, particularly the Bundaberg BMX Club which would go on to host the Wayne O’Sullivan Memorial Race for 15 years.
It wasn’t until 2019 when Marigold returned to racing, having also taken time away to undergo cochlear surgery to prevent her hearing from reaching an irreparable level.
By 2021, the Bundaberg BMX club awarded her the Wayne O’Sullivan commemorative plaque after winning the final edition of her father’s memorial race.
It was a special occasion for Marigold, but it wasn’t to be her final contribution to BMX racing.
That would take place one year later in Launceston, Tasmania, where she would become Australian national champion.
Victory in the women’s 30-34 category was an incredible achievement for Marigold, as was her success in the historic Para 14+ women’s category.
“It was a special race because the Para category was the first ever in BMX sport worldwide,” she said.
“It was my last race, my last competition. I decided that I would go out on a high and will not compete anymore because I have many other goals I want to achieve.”
Some of those goals include starting a family with her wife and moving to Tasmania, but if there was one other thing Marigold would like to do, it’s to impart that same resolve and resilience to other people dealing with similar impairments.
“Never give up in life. Go for your dreams,” she said.
“If you have a goal, you can work towards it and achieve it, whatever it may be. Believe in yourself!”
