Ring the Bell | Cooper Thriving after Raise the Bar Experience

North Queensland’s Cooper Bell came within 14-seconds of a golden ticket to February's World Cross Country Championship race, but the rising Ewerrain and Djungan athlete is just getting started after the Rio Tinto Raise the Bar program sparked his belief both on and off the track.

The Cairns product raced his way to ninth place in the Under 20 Men’s Golden Ticket race in Bathurst, narrowly missing out on the top-seven finish that would have seen him return for the World Championship bout the following day. Completing the gruelling four kilometre course in a time of 13:32, the 18-year-old led the way for a talented crop of emerging Indigenous talent.

“Although I missed out, I was so proud of how well I did and it made me so hungry for more. It was insane and a dream feeling running and competing against athletes from around the world,” Bell said. 

“It was surreal to see athletes from all over the world walking around, warming up and scattered over the whole event site. It was so awesome that Rio Tinto were a sponsor of the event because we got to have lunch with a few of the Australian Team members. We also met Australian Olympians Steve Moneghetti and Robert de Castella.”

With senior Australian representatives Ellie Pashley and Andy Buchanan attending the lunch and fielding questions from the inquisitive group ranging from Parkrun personal bests to pre-race meals, Bell was proactive in building on his knowledge of the sport along with his peers:

“There is absolutely no shame in taking opportunity. When an opportunity is placed in front you, you should always take it. The other thing I would mention is around talent. Talent will only get you so far. To go all the way, you need to put in effort and hard work, and not be weak to ask for help. Those little pieces of advice are why I am where I am today.”

With the support of Rio Tinto, Athletics Australia’s Raise the Bar program creates meaningful pathways by engaging students in education and career opportunities, leadership development, cultural connections, team building and daily training sessions with elite track and field coaches.

“I attended the Brisbane Raise the Bar camp in 2022 which was hosted at the University of Queensland. I enjoyed meeting other Indigenous athletes from across Australia and learning about their traditional country and customs. I made so many new friends at the camp,” Bell said.

“We attended university activities, along with field activities and training where I had access to Australia’s top tier coaches. After completing the camp, I had more defined pathway to pursing sports at university, and I also know about Rio Tinto’s Indigenous scholarships and cadetships programs.” 

With Bell’s talent on the track no secret, the 18-year-old emerged from the program with a clear vision and drive to achieve his ultimate goal of studying and competing abroad in the United States’ NCAA system.  

“I will be starting my degree in the Bachelor of High Performance Sports at the Australian Catholic University and will continue with my long-distance running career, and hopefully make it onto an American college track team,” Bell said. 

The classy operator shared his thanks to both Athletics Australia and Rio Tinto, vowing to share his story and inspire his community back home to follow in his footsteps:

“I would like to say a massive thank you for the opportunities and programs like Raise the Bar. After spending more time with the employees, I can really see Rio Tinto has a great bunch of people working there,” Bell said.

“Attending the World Championships was a truly a once in a life-time opportunity. I know have a great story to tell the young kids back home of how I raced in a World Championship race. I’ve done myself proud, and my family are super proud of me.”

More information about the Rio Tinto Raise the Bar program can be found HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 26/4/2023