Western Athletics rising star Luke Stevens will head to the 94th Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney later this month as the No. 1 ranked male 400m runner from Victoria.
Stevens, 21, has only been racing competitively at the distance for two seasons, but already boasts two state titles to his name.
Last month, he defended his crown, taking out the state final in a personal best time of 46.06sec, ensuring qualification for the nationals.
“I was really happy with the time, but, more importantly, I was really happy that I won,” Stevens told Star Weekly. “The goal was to go into the state titles to try and get a win, and the PB was a bonus.”
Stevens felt in control of his destiny across the whole weekend of the state championships.
The Tarneit resident had only the fourth best time in the heats, but turned it up a notch in the semis and the final.
“I was trying to conserve as much energy as I could,” he said. “I just did what I had to do in the heats and the semis, made sure I progressed each round, so that way I could get to the final and give it all that I’ve got.
“It felt really good having the crowd behind you and your crew watching on, friends and family. It made it really special for me.”
Stevens’ sprinting career is on an upward trajectory.
He put his rapid improvement down to the many hours he spends on the track.
The positive results are keeping him motivated.
But the RMIT University student knows his competitors are striving just as hard to shave precious seconds off their times.
“I’ve got the number one ranked time [in Victoria] and that gives me a lot of confidence for sure,” he said. “There’s some really good runners out there and they’re going to be putting up some good times, so you can’t sit back and relax. You’ve got to keep backing it up all the time.”
Stevens will compete at the Queensland Track Classic on Saturday, which will be his last major event before the nationals.
He will head to Sydney focused on what he can control and not get overawed by the talented runners in the other lanes.
“They’re top 400m runners,” Stevens said. “I know what they’re capable of, but I know what I’m capable of. If I run a good time, I’ll walk away happy, regardless if I win or not.”
The national championships will take place at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre from March 31 to April 3.
