Highlights
- TCS is expanding its groundbreaking Future Athlete Project in Australia, using digital twin heart technology to boost health and performance for First Nations runners.
- Three Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) athletes are participating in the 2025 program, gaining personalised insights to train smarter, recover better, and push their limits safely.
- The project is a launchpad for how sport, data, and purpose can come together for long-term change.
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The heart behind the project
In 2024, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), introduced Australia to the Future Athlete Project, a world-first initiative at the intersection of sports science, indigenous excellence, and emerging tech. This year, we’re taking it further.
The program uses digital twin technology to unlock powerful insights into heart health and performance. In partnership with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF), we’re working alongside First Nations athletes who are rewriting the rules on the track and beyond.
Essential Insights
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. In Australia, the statistics are confronting. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, mortality from heart disease is 1.5 times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians. It’s a gap that demands innovation, collaboration, and heart.
That’s where the Future Athlete Project comes in.
By creating 3D digital replicas - or "twins" - of our athletes’ hearts, we can track how they respond to pace, elevation, and even medication. We can simulate race day conditions before they happen. And we can prevent overtraining by offering personalised recovery insights that help athletes train smarter and perform better.
But the tech is only half the story!
Hayley’s next chapter
This year’s Future Athlete Project features three standout runners from the Indigenous Marathon Foundation program, with Hayley Pymont, T.J. Cora and Andrew 'Googz' Thorpe using digital twin heart tech to monitor and elevate their training in real-time. For Wiradjuri woman and IMF graduate, Hayley Pymont, running is more than sport - it’s legacy.
“I chose to sign up for the Future Athlete Project because it’s a wonderful initiative that is combining both the technology and wellbeing of athletes to enhance the overall experience. To be able to record data and see where in our training plans, we need to adjust will be incremental in knowing where to take our training,” says Hayley.
“By having this data, we can make more informed decisions which will not only improve our mental and emotional wellbeing but also our physical wellbeing.”
“With heart disease being one of the highest causes of death amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it is crucial to know the finer details. With gaining knowledge around this, we will be able to take it back to our communities to help those in need and create a bigger impact.”
“Ultimately bringing down numbers in death around heart disease and improve individuals’ overall health and wellbeing”.
Fuelled by innovation
TCS Futurist Bill Quinn, sees this project as a launchpad for how sport, data, and purpose can come together for long-term change.
“As both an amateur runner and a futurist at TCS, I’m thrilled to be part of the Future Athlete Project. The integration of AI and digital twin technology is helping me train with more precision, perform with greater confidence, and recover more intelligently.”
“But the real power of this innovation goes far beyond individual performance. By turning data into actionable insights, we’re paving the way for a future where athletes of all levels can train smarter. And as this technology scales, it has the potential to transform not just sports, but the health and wellness of society at large.”
Exploring the future with digital twin technology
Key outputs of digital twin heart technology for the Future Athlete Project participants include:
- Simulating endless scenarios by rehearsing the future in the digital world, athletes can prepare for peak performance in the real world, no matter the race day conditions.
- Identifying safe maximum heart rates and testing the effects of different medications to optimize training safely.
- Preventing overtraining with personalized recovery insights.
- Collaborating with coaches and medical teams to assess and fine-tune conditions for optimal performance and wellbeing.
It’s the kind of future-focused, athlete-led technology TCS is proud to drive, not only in Australia, but around the world.
The TCS Sydney Marathon continues to be a celebration of human endurance, community spirit, and technological possibility. With over 40,000 participants last year and tens of thousands more expected in 2025, it’s quickly becoming one of the world’s must-run major marathons.
This isn’t just about crossing the finish line. It’s about what comes after…longer, healthier lives. Stronger communities. And the power of innovation to unlock human potential.
