JESSE Iese has returned from the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships winning a gold medal in shot put and a bronze medal in discuss.
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He took on the shot put competition on Sunday and the discuss on Tuesday.
Iese was competing in the under-17 age group.
Using a five-kilogram shot put, Iese threw a personal best of 18.35 metres – 0.48 metres further than Victorian teammate Declan Carman, who finished second.
Iese said he was confident heading into the competition.
“I had been training well and my throwing was getting better,” he said.
“It all clicked and came together.”
This was Iese’s fourth nationals tilt and he said it was a great experience.
When Iese saw he had thrown 18.35 metres he was confident Carman couldn’t catch him.
“I knew his personal best was around 18 metres so I knew it was going to come close,” he said.
“It was a personal best for me. I was over the moon when I saw that number on the scoreboard.”
Iese is the Wimmera Sports Assembly’s reigning Sports Star of the Year and has propelled himself as one of the top sporting talents from the region.
Using a 1.5 kilogram discuss, Iese threw 49.81 metres with Carman throwing 55.98 metres to claim gold.
Iese knew it would be a close field in discuss.
“In the warm-up I wasn’t really feeling it compared to the shot put warm-up,” he said. “I am stoked with the medal.
“Those two are my main events but I do enjoy shot put more.”
Shot put takes priority for Iese.
To qualify for the nationals, athletes must finish top two at the All Schools Nationals in the previous year.
“But because this one was a different weight I had to throw a qualifying throw,” he said.
Iese will return to training at Edenhope with his father to improve himself.
Iese said he was close to qualifying for the youth Commonwealth Games but wasn’t sure on the specifics.
“The next competition I know of is the All Schools Nationals,” he said.
Iese will be training several times a week – including resistance training and working on his throwing and standing technique.
”We are looking for a permanent coach to improve myself even more. It has gotten to a stage where we need to find those people,” he said.
Nurcong athlete Lily Cameron also competed at the Australian Athletics Championships winning two bronze medals in high jump.
Cameron set two personal bests with the first in under-18 age group and the second in under-20 age group.
In under-18 she set a personal best of 1.72 metres and in under-20 she set a personal best of 1.73 metres.
Coach Ricky Price said she went to the competition ranked fifth in the country for the under-18s.
“There was a number of girls who could have won it – the girl in first jumped 1.75 metres,” he said.
"To then come out two days later and set another personal best in the under-20’s was impressive.
“You don't expect to jump another personal best when you are still in recovery mode from competition."
Cameron will continue competing in under-18 competitions throughout 2017.
