Nick's Knack for Joinery | National Careers Week

On the eve of the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, it’s business as usual for cabinet maker Nick Hum. The Paralympic medallist dials in on his way from work to training, providing an insight into balancing life with a young family and Paralympic aspirations for National Careers Week.

While many of Hum’s Australian teammates have already arrived in Kobe, Japan for the championships beginning on Friday May 17, the long jumper is continuing his trade at his business Peninsula Joinery Specialists – not set to don the green and gold until Saturday May 25.

Competing in the T20 classification for athletes with an intellectual impairment, the Paralympic bronze medallist speaks with passion and pride when it comes to his achievements on and off the track.

“I find cabinet making really easy compared to long jump training. Training is never ending; you never think you are the best so it’s never done – it’s not like that with long jump. With cabinet making, you finish a job and you walk away – it’s done,” Hum says.

“My biography is on my website. Some of my clients read it but some of them don’t. The people that do, it’s a really good conversation! Sometimes they will be like ‘Nick, you are a Paralympian?’ and I will say ‘yeah, I’m already halfway through your cabinetry’. They think it’s awesome.”

From commercial jobs to smaller projects including building a throwing circle for teammate Todd Hodgetts at the Victorian Institute of Sport, the 31-year-old father of two found his niche in joinery and has been refining his craft ever since.

“I liked woodwork at school, I did that nearly the whole time I was there. It carried over into doing other joinery when I left school. I was working at another place for about 10 years but then I started my own business and haven’t looked back,” Hum says.

“I design, measure, manufacture, install – I do it all!”

A friendly personality with a contagious smile, Hum’s ability to delegate tasks and structure his time has allowed him to shine in both business and athletics, but maybe most importantly at home.

“I really like thinking about what the client has envisioned because I get to envision it too. I put all of my expertise into it and it changes all the time, but then we bring it all together and it turns into something really good,” Hum says.

“Every family has their normal day-to-day life. We manage, my wife does a really good job and we do as much as we can together. You learn to balance it out with what they need and it’s a big reason why we started the business, to make sure we could spend time together.”

While the long jumper has five Paralympic ‘B’ qualifiers for Paris headed by a 6.91m effort at the Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships under the guidance of John Boas, Hum is keeping things in perspective as he builds back towards major medal form.

“It’s good to have another opportunity to go overseas, I’m very grateful. It’s the same year as Paris [Paralympics] so it’s a very busy year. Everyone loves to do a PB so I think that would be my goal, but it’s a big year to have kids and work commitments, it’s an achievement in itself to be able to go and do your best,” Hum says.

Hum will compete in the Men’s Long Jump T20 on Sunday May 25 from 10:05am AEST, as the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships begin tomorrow.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 16/5/2024