Cade Lucas
The state government’s athlete travel grants are designed to help sports people get to competitions interstate or overseas.
But for Truganina runner Liz Hall, receiving one of the grants has helped in a slightly different way.
The 15 year old travelled to Brisbane for the Australian Junior Athletics Championships back in April, long before the latest round of grants were announced.
Fortunately Hall was confident enough about her application to travel to Brisbane anyway, finishing 7th in the Under 16 2000m steeplechase.
“It actually went towards accommodation for Liz and her coach” said mum Stacey Hall of how the money was used given it came too late to pay for travel.
Despite the odd timing, Stacey said the grant was still crucial in helping her daughter chase her dream
“Knowing that there were grants out there meant there was no umming and ahhing about whether to go or not.
We’ve always found ways to let her go (to competitions), but having funding helps take the pressure of us” said Ms Hall, who applied for the grants in her role as secretary of Werribee Little Athletics.
It was at little athletics where Liz first came across steeplechase, a race where runners must clear four large hurdles per lap, including one with a pool of water behind it.
“When i was around 10 i found it really intriguing and wanted to do it” said Liz of the
event she was still too young to compete in and isn’t even offered at little athletics.
By the time she reached the eligibility age of 12, Covid19 had arrived and delayed her ambition even further, but after finally completing her first steeplechase in 2021, she was hooked.
“I found it really challenging because of the extra obstacles, it added an extra bit of difficulty,” said Liz, who juggles senior competition with the Western Athletics Club while still competing in little athletics where she is Werribee’s club captain.
A year 10 student at Thomas Carr College in Tarneit, Liz Hall trains five days a week with the 2024 Australian junior championships her next goal.
“It’s basically just to keep going, keep training to do better at next year’s championships, because there’s not really any higher level until under 20’s” she said.
