Vice Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AO of the University of Queensland outlines how a refresh of a Group of Eight university strategy in the depths of the pandemic got energised and inspired by the award of the Olympic Games to her city shortly before the strategy was to be finessed by university leadership after an engagement jam across staff students and external partners. It illustrates how a short-term trajectory during tough times can be amplified by a light on the horizon of a major global opportunity for a strategy that seeks to emphasise the local relevance of global excellence while harnessing national priorities for policy change in research commercialisation and digital short form courses for lifelong learning for domestic and international students.