Mid West Academy of Sport launching talent search to find next track and field Olympic star

Following the excitement and spectacle of the Olympic Games in Paris, the Mid West Academy of Sport is launching a new program to find aspiring track talents. MWAS executive officer Darren Winterbine said the program was being launched to coincide with the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. The academy opened up a similar initiative back in August 2022, which resulted in a number of athletes receiving invites to join the MWAS high performance squad. With the aim of scouting hidden gems, aspiring superstars can be found hiding in plain sight. A glowing example is 1500m runner Jessica Hull, who made it to the Paris games and won silver in the 1500m after being scouted through a similar program in Victoria. “I started running in year two at my primary school cross country carnival, the cross-country carnival was mandatory once you got to year two, so it was my first introduction to running and I loved it,” Hull said during the Olympic Games. “I started Little Athletics with Albion Park Little Athletics Centre later that year when the season started.” The talent search program will be headed by MWAS track and field coach Gary Clark, wo currently has six middle distance athletes in his squad and is looking to add more for the 2024-25 season. Clark, who is a former state marathon and cross-country champion, said identifying talent was a process that needed to start young. “Requires potential athletes to start at a young age to ensure the individual receives the eight years of deliberate practice that is widely recognised as a necessity on the pathway to elitism,” he said. Winterbine said there was always talent hiding around the schools and their passion could grow if they were scouted for their ability. Young athletes or parents of kids aged between 12 and 20 that could be the next Olympian are urged to apply, the closing date is September 11 and the link for the EOI page is : https://www.mwaswa.com.au/mwas-track-and-field-athlete-talent-search-2/.