City of Gold Coast Hosts Nation’s Rising Stars ahead of World Under 20 Championships

With two months remaining until the 2024 World Under 20 Championships get underway in Lima, the excitement is palpable for Australia’s team of 68 rising stars who touched down on the Gold Coast last week to ramp up their Peru preparations.

For many, the occasion marked their first time donning the green and gold tracksuit, congregating on the City of Gold Coast for an action-packed training camp across four days. Domestic rivals quickly became international teammates as the star-studded lineup laid the foundations of what is widely regarded as one of the nation’s strongest World Under 20 Championships teams in history.

Two training sessions at Runaway Bay’s Gold Coast Performance Centre provided crucial opportunities to begin work with team coaches and undertake relay practice, with Australia set to field full teams in the Men’s and Women’s 4x100m Relays, Men’s and Women’s 4x400m Relays, and Mixed 4x400m Relay.

Doubling back for her second World Under 20 Championships and appointed as one of six team leaders, Olivia Rose Inkster said the environment on the Gold Coast was one that set the team up for success in Peru this August:

“I thought the camp was really effective! We got to spend time with the people in our event groups and connect with the staff better, and meet them as individuals ourselves rather than just in one big team setting,” Inkster said.

“Obviously we’re going to be away from home for three weeks, so it’s about finding friends off the track as well. I know from my last experience that I have made lifelong friends, and I’m sure I will this time too. It’s important to make those connections now.”

Athletes undertook key education sessions with specialists in sports psychology and fueling for performance through diet, immersing in the world of High Performance athletics as the team set their sights on producing their best on the day of competition in Lima.

With the team goal of becoming the most successful Australian team at a non-home World Under 20 Championships, Team Leader and Olympic sprinter Craig Pickering described the team’s mission as to perform when it matters, learn together and grow from our experience:

“The World Under 20 Championships are a great opportunity for our athletes to test themselves on the world stage. Our aim is to support each athlete to deliver their best performance at the Championships, and, if they do that, we should do really well as a team.” 

Theatresports delivered an engaging Sports Integrity session, creating discussion around practices that ensure a safe and fair sport for all, with practical scenarios in which athletes’ acting skills were put to the test, before the group reconvened to debate how the scene played out.

Athletes visited the Jellugral Aboriginal Cultural Centre to develop a greater connection to the country they will represent on the world stage when guided around the Burleigh Headland, while the camp also featured Olympian Ellie Beer dropping in to share her experience in transitioning from the Under 20 ranks to the world of Open athletics.

With Inkster one of six team leaders appointed by teammates alongside Isaac Beacroft, Claudia Hollingsworth, Peyton Craig, Frankleen Newah-Jarfoi and Delta Amidzovski, the sprinter summed up the Gold Coast camp as a hot start to what looms as a golden campaign.

“It’s an awesome group of athletes. It’s a bit different this time being older and taking on a bit more of a leadership role, but it’s super exciting to meet new people and just see how each athlete works,” Inkster said.

“We have to be able to trust our teammates on the track and practicing relay exchanges now and getting to know how everyone functions means that when competition does come around, we are prepared for anything.”

The World Under 20 Championships pre-departure camp was conducted on the City of Gold Coast from June 19-23, with 88 athletes and team staff working towards departure for Lima this August.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 26/06/2024