The simple answer is that, away from individual sponsorship deals, the sport needs improved prize money and a more relaxed attitude regarding qualifying standards. So how do we ensure that our athletes don’t disappear from the sport? This is where we start to lose our junior athletes, many who wouldn’t actually mature at their specific event until well into their twenties (many female distance athletes don’t reach their peak until their early thirties).
To combine the two becomes extremely difficult, and many top juniors simply remain in the sport for the enjoyment of competition at a lower level (such as reduced training).
#FORGOTTEN FIELDS STARS FULL#
When athletes fail to make Australian teams they are forced to compete at the next level down, which can be sometimes simply competing at State League or road races/fun runs around the country.Īt these levels there is little prize money distributed to athletes, and therefore for many it is a choice between making a living from track and field or through full time work away from the track. If there isn’t a specific support network in place then this transition can be quite difficult for an 18 year-old junior.Įven with all of the support, including being part of the Australian Institute of Sport and so on, athletes find it difficult as they enter their twenties, with issues surrounding injuries, general motivation and tough qualifying standards for major championships.įor many athletes it can become difficult to remain motivated when these standards aren’t met or athletes are overlooked by national selectors for Australian teams. The enjoyment of running at school level makes way to competing at senior meetings across the country or internationally. The challenges also arise from the transition from High School to University or full time/ part time work. The simple answer is that there needs to be a guarantee somewhere along the way that it is all worthwhile for an athlete to make the sacrifices required to make it to the very top of their selected sport.įor many of our junior athletes the transition to the senior ranks is made harder through the lack of support in a sport that can’t compete against the likes of Australian Rules Football, tennis, golf or soccer. So what ensures that we experience the very best of our junior stars as they enter the senior ranks? This is not to say that all of these athletes won’t become champion athletes over the coming years, but we also have to be ready for these names to disappear from our thoughts when we are discussing the Australian team for the 2016 Olympics. Unfortunately the figures suggest that we will only see maybe one or two of these athletes go on and achieve success at senior level.
#FORGOTTEN FIELDS STARS FREE#
If we could only see into the future, and have a guarantee that these athletes would still be running and more importantly remaining injury free and still enjoying their running.
All of these talented athletes and their performances suggest that we are going through a mini renaissance in junior distance running in Australia.Īdd to this list the likes of 20 year-old Lara Tamsett (selected on the women’s senior team) and you start to feel optimistic about the future of distance running in Australia.
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