I decided to go down the road less travelled by Australian junior runners, when I passed up the opportunity to go to college in the United States. This was not an easy decision, like all decisions that go against the grain, it poses a risk due to uncertainty. My dad was particularly concerned. As a junior boxing champion, who wasn’t allowed to compete internationally due to the apartheid sanctions in South Africa, my dad struggled to understand why I would turn down an opportunity he would’ve killed for. There were multiple reasons which influenced my decision, but the certifying reason for staying in Australia was that I knew it was my best chance of becoming a great runner, not just a good runner.
It is part and parcel of an athlete's career that they are judged purely on their results, and quite often the journey behind the results is ignored. Rohan Browning has lived both the extreme highs and lows of this journey, since he began his athletics career in 2014. Browning was discovered by his current (and only) coach, Andrew Murphy, whilst attending Trinity Grammar School in Sydney. The path towards becoming Australia's equal third fastest 100m sprinter of all-time has been filled with setbacks. However, despite this, Browning is without a doubt one of the top sprinters this country has produced. And he is just 21 years of age.
Matt Beckenham is the coach of Melissa Breen, Lauren Boden, Sarah Walsh, Tom Agnew, Jordan Shelley and a bunch of other past and present elite athletes. Visit his website at www.mattbdept.com
By Samantha Schrauth
We scoured all junior results from across Australia in the latter half of 2018 and found 10 exciting juniors with huge futures. It’s always hard leaving so many talented athletes off the list, but below are 10 juniors loaded with talent, with the world at their feet.
DAMITA...
JESS TRENGOVE – FROM ATHLETE & COACH
Managing Pressure & Valuing the Process by Jess Trengove
“Goals act as the driving force behind one’s motivation to dig deep in training, to withstand the pain of foam rolling or to gulp down that final gooey gel for a critical energy boost.” –...
We threw a rigid training structure out the window and completely listened to my body this season. That combined with a little bit of luck and building a bit of resilience into my body meant I have been able to compete consistently.” - Henry Frayne
By Tim Rosen
For Henry Frayne,...
In April 2019, Irish-born Australian Sinead Diver, moved to third on the Aussie women’s all-time list after finishing seventh at the London Marathon with a time of 2:24:11. This time was also a 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifier and the fastest time by an Australian in 12 years. The only Australian women to have run quicker are Benita Willis and Lisa Ondieki. We caught up with Sinead for a flash interview.
By Justin Rinaldi
At the start of the 2018 perpetration period, Joseph Deng, Peter Bol and I talked about the goals for the year ahead and what we wanted to achieve. In order they were: 1. Finish first and second at the Commonwealth Games Selection trials. 2. Win a medal...
Elite athletes are like everyone else and contend with numerous day-to-day life challenges. Balancing these issues with what is required to be an elite athlete is something Brooke Stratton knows all too well.
FROM GRADE 3 TEAR TO WORLD CHAMPION
“Looking forward, surgery and recovery was now my new goal. A pivotal moment in this journey happened in a skype session with orthopaedic surgeon, Patrick Weinraunch. His opinion turned my world around” – Nash Lowis
By Nash Lowis
I remember when and where I...
