Aleksandra Stoilova

BIOGRAPHY

After becoming an Australian champion in primary school, Aleks Stoilova started formally training. Through her teenage years she has collected National titles and continued to trim her PB. Selected in the 2021 World U20 team last year, she was recently named in the 4x100m relay for the Australian team for the 2022 World U20 Championships. Aleks is still young enough to be selected for the next (2024) World U20 Championships.

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Aleks Stoilova’s journey in athletics started in Tiny Tots at Ambarvale Little Athletics. By year six, she had won a National Primary schools 100m title. “After that competition I felt like I wanted to train properly for track and mum saw my potential.” Aleks’ mum had been a national hurdler in Macedonia and was keen for Aleks to do athletics.

But athletics was only one of many sports Aleks was involved with when growing up. 
“I was a very sporty kid. My parents put me in gymnastics, AFL, soccer and athletics.” She would later need to decide between soccer and athletics, with athletics winning due to her passion for the sport.

Into her teenage years Aleks continued to remain one of Australia’s best sprinters for her age, winning national titles. Her mid-teen years have been affected by COVID, with competition cancellations, but each year she still has been able to trim her PB. Her impressive 100m progression has been 2018/19 - 12.21 (13 years), 2019/20 - 12.05 (14 years), 2020/21 – 11.83 (15 years), then 2021/22 – 11.68 (16 years).
At the end of the 2021 summer, she was selected in the Australian U20 team, that didn’t travel to the World Juniors, but 12 months on she was running even better, lowering her PB to 11.68 at the Melbourne Track Classic in March 2022 which coincided with a National relay camp. But unfortunately, Aleks injured her hamstring, forcing her out of Nationals. The selectors had faith in her and selected her in the relay for the World U20 Championships.

“It was the biggest challenge that I have faced - having confidence within myself. When injuring my hamstring it forced me to become mentally stronger and set my head right. I am so grateful to my coach for staying by my side and creating a rehab plan that would get me back to training within the next month. Along with the support of my family and all of the team coaches, managers and physios that were down in Melbourne.”

Enjoyment of competing: I Love everything about track on competition days, from seeing my friends, to the adrenaline rush right before a race, the atmosphere and the feeling of running a new PB. I also love the feedback from my coach after each race so then we can work on it the next training session…Advice to your young self: Be patient and with time I will improve instead of trying to rush the process…Sporting Ambition: participate in big international competitions…Personal excellence goals: Knowing I couldn’t give anymore, being content with myself and pass on my knowledge…Interesting facts: can speak three languages: speaks Macedonian to my grandma, learnt Spanish for 10 years at school and currently learning Italian.

@ 1 July 2022 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au