Staff and students who have been following the amazing journey of learning design student Anna Meares are proud of her Olympic silver medal achievement this week, in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.

After suffering from a fractured neck at the world championships back in January, enduring a long recovery process, Anna bounced back and now has the full range of medals - gold, silver and bronze - across 2 Olympics.

She told ABC Radio that she considered herself "lucky to be walking, let alone winning a silver medal".

Associate Professor Peter Reaburn, from Health and Human Performance, was among those around the campus glowing with pride.

He said research had consistently shown that a positive mindset during recovery from injury could help shorten the recovery period.

"Knowing Anna personally and having received regular e-mail updates from her on her rehabilitation program, she has the most positive mindset I have ever seen," he said.

As a CQUniversity Ambassador and student, Anna has developed strong ties with the University community in recent years.

Despite deferring her studies to concentrate on her medal chances, the door to study will always be open to Anna.

Anna first enrolled at CQUniversity through the Elite Athlete Friendly University Project, a national initiative of the Australian institute of Sport.

Through this project, the University ensures that elite athletes, who have been identified by some of Australia's key sports organisations, can successfully pursue a degree while maintaining their sports commitments that often involve overseas travel or time off for major training camps or competitions.