Local junior athletes are representing the South West nationally and internationally for competitions

Local junior athletes are representing the South West at national and international level for competitions. Members of the Bunbury Little Athletics team starred at the WA State Junior Championships last month, with 11 athletes combining for three golds, eight silvers and 11 bronze medals over the carnival. Four of those locals were selected for the Junior International Tour in Malaysia after their outstanding performances. Devon Larkworthy-Darke, Jayden Fenn, Wyatt Bonner and Lucy Nell will jet off in July to compete in their respective fields against kids from Singapore and Malaysia. This year marks the 31st time the International Athletics Competition takes place with Athletics West, Singapore Sports School Council and Ministry of Education of Malaysia partnered for a two-day program of track and field events. The same four juniors plus Aylah Chadwick, Noah Martin, Morgan Hill, Lila-Rose Hesson and Avahli Allen have qualified for the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Brisbane this April. During the Australian All Schools Championships in Melbourne last December, Jayden and Wyatt joined forces to take home a bronze in the under-14 4x100m relay for WA. Jayden reflected on what has been a thrilling few months competing. “My favourite memory is definitely being part of the 4x100m relay and getting a national medal for sprinting, I am definitely a thrower not a sprinter, so being able to say I have a national medal in sprinting has been quite a good story to tell,” he said. In Jayden’s preferred discipline of hammer throw, he took home a silver medal at the championships whilst breaking the WA State record at the same time. The local has big dreams for where the sport might take him. “I am hoping to get a scholarship for one of the universities in America for throwing, where I can progress my studies and my athletics career in throws, specifically hammer throw. I would really like to be at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.” Bunbury Little Athletics treasurer Alisha Fenn said the club was proud to provide young kids the stepping stone to develop into any level of athlete they wanted to be. “For some it’s the very first time they run on a track or try a jump or throw, and for others it becomes the start of a pathway to higher levels of competition,” she said. “It’s about building confidence, skills and friendships while showing kids what they’re capable of and trying to beat their own personal best each week. “It gives the kids the opportunity to develop core athletics skills that underpin many sporting careers.” World class athlete’s have to start somewhere, with Busselton’s Olympic gold medallist and world champion Nina Kennedy, a key example for kids to aim where they might want to go.