MEET CARLA MOLINARO: RECORD-BREAKING ATHLETE JOINS THE WSA ADVISORY BOARD
Carla Molinaro is an elite Ultra Runner for HOKA. Carla is the current 50km World Champion and has been running professionally for the past 4 years. Carla is also the founder of SCY for Runners a worldwide programme designed to make runners of all levels faster and stronger and as best informed as they can be about everything from nutrition to shoes to sports psychology.
WHY ARE YOU EXCITED TO BECOME A WSA ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER?
I am really excited to become a WSA Board Member because I think this group is going to make huge waves on Women's Sport and I would love to see current and future athletes reach their potential not only on the field but also in sponsorships, partnerships and mentoring.
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE CHANGED AS A FEMALE ATHLETE OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS?
In order to maximise your potential as an athlete it is not just about how you do in your sport anymore but also your ability to engage and promote yourself on social media. I have certainly found that my business has flourished through this but I think there are still massive gaps as ‘influencers’ receive better partnerships than athletes and I feel that this gap needs to be bridged somehow.
WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES AS A FEMALE ATHLETE?
The biggest challenge is distinguishing athletes from influencers and showing brands that they can utilise athletes in their campaigns to not only maximise the sponsorship potential but also to to inspire future generations. I think that brands will sometimes lean towards a one off partnership with someone instead of building a lasting relationship with an athlete that can flourish. I think this used to happen but it seems we have moved away from this now so it’s trying to find a way to bridge that gap and bring it back around.
There is also disparity between male and female athletes base salaries, prize money is equal in races which is great but base fees are definitely not and if we could find a clearer fairway to pay all athletes equally that would be great.
IS BUILDING A BRAND IMPORTANT AND WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANY FEMALE ATHLETE LOOKING TO BUILD THEIR PERSONAL BRAND?
Yes, I think that is important because you can then align to brands that you feel you have a connection with and this can determine who and why you work with certain people. The most important thing is being comfortable and true to what you portray. Just because someone on instagram makes videos a certain way it doesn’t mean you have to. You can find your own voice and style this way you will come across authentically and it will be a lot easier to promote yourself
WHY ARE YOU EXCITED BY THE WSA MISSION? (MISSION IS: BY 2030, WE WANT FEMALE ATHLETES TO REPRESENT AT LEAST 50% OF THE HIGHEST PAID ATHLETES IN THE WORLD LIST - IN 2023, THERE ARE ZERO!)
Because it will be great to see parity in sport and see females standing equal to their male counterparts in all aspects from airtime, media coverage, prize money and salaries.
How do you see women’s sport evolving over the next 10 years, and what role will organisations like WSA play over the next decade?
Women’s sport is only going to continue to grow. We have seen this with sports like football which is amazing. The more that women’s sport gets shown in the media and given equal airtime the bridge between men and women will get smaller.
Organisations like the WSA are going to challenge brands to think differently and be more open and honest with how they support athletes. Not only financially but also help them grow as individuals and give them the best skills possible to maximise their potential in sport.
