Mackenzie Little: A javelin a day takes the Doctor away

Doctor Mackenzie Little knows a thing or two about scheduling her diary. The 27-year-old arrives in Paris having trained extensively around her shift work as a doctor at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.

Set to become a dual Olympian in the Women’s Javelin Throw, Mackenzie sees training as a welcome break, a chance to enjoy the emotional wellbeing of being active and switching off from the pressure of being a doctor.

“Training is a break, 100 per cent,” Mackenzie said. “I get there. My coach Angus [McIntyre] has a plan; he tells me what to do, and I get the chance to follow instructions, which is absolute bliss.

“Javelin is my outlet and it’s crazy to think that opportunities like the Olympics are a by-product of that.”

The world championships bronze medallist at Budapest 2023, Mackenzie can see synergies between her work and athletics.

“In medicine, you are like a duck on water. Paddling like crazy to stay afloat while looking confident in managing patients,” Mackenzie said.

“Athletics is the same. The performance people see is not everything. They don’t see the niggles, the challenges and the hard work done to put a performance together.

“Athletics balances me as a doctor. It makes me more relaxed and chill, more at ease, and it’s reassuring to go to work knowing that I have this wonderful release.”

She thrives on the hustle and bustle of it all, although she has enjoyed some recent downtime between competitions in Europe thanks to a binge of the show Bridgerton.

“Being very busy, in simple terms, is something that I’ve been doing for years,” Mackenzie said.

“I was very active in high school. Sport, music, the works. And then I studied at Stanford where the whole schtick is balancing academics and athletics in tandem.

“Now that I’m working full-time, it's all very similar. I’m busy at work, then I go to training. It’s a progression of always being on the go.”

Mackenize arrives at the Olympic Games in career-best form. 

A 66.12m throw to win the Diamond League in London just days before the Australian athletics training camp began confirms her readiness to throw at Stade de France.

“London was an anxious confident boost,” she explained.

“It brings expectation and hope, the chance for something special in Paris. I couldn’t have scripted better timing to be in career-best form.

“I know some people will look at the result and think I’m the person to beat, that’s a new pressure for me and the optimism is something I’m trying to keep a lid on. I must keep putting in the work so the pressure felt influences a strong technical performance.”

The dual World Champion Kelsey Lee-Barber and four-time Olympian Kathryn Mitchell will join Mackenzie on the runway in Paris. This remarkable pair, alongside the now retired Kim Mickle, have influenced Mackenzie’s progression to being one of the world’s best.

“I have been competing against some of the world’s best javelin throwers since I was 13, and it's had such a positive impact,” Mackenzie said.

“In London for the Diamond League, the Serbian girl threw a national record to finish behind me, and it was humbling to know that my mark, while good, was nowhere near Australia’s best.

“Kath is our national record holder, Kelsey has two world championship gold medals, and in recent years I’ve probably been in their shadows. It’s been so much fun to have had the chance to prove myself against them.

“We had three girls in the final in Tokyo and I’d love to see three girls in the final in Paris.”

Beyond the Games, scheduling for Mackenzie has already begun.

A brief sabbatical to enjoy whatever comes her way will be quickly followed by a long-haul flight to Sydney that lands the morning before her first night shift at the hospital. 

The final will be on Sunday 11 August at 3:40am *AEST).

By Cody Lynch, Athletics Australia and Australian Olympic Committee
Posted 10/08/2024