Mia White has been given the ultimate honour of captaining the School Sports Victoria team at the national cross-country championships in Melbourne later this month.
The St Andrews Primary School pupil and Werribee Little Athletics Centre athlete will compete in the championships for a third consecutive year, with her sights set on a breakthrough gold medal after claiming silver and bronze in the past two years.
White will be one of the favourites to take out the three-kilometre race.
Knowing what to expect should stand her in good stead when the starter’s gun goes off.
“It will probably help me a lot,” White told
Star Weekly. “I’m less nervous every time. It’s just fun and enjoyable now, and I’ve made a lot of friendships.”
White has competed at the nationals previously in WA and Tasmania. This time, they will be at nearby Moonee Valley Athletics Track, which should be another advantage.
“I’ll be able to check out the course before the race,” White said.
As captain, she will write and deliver a motivational speech to the state team and carry the Victorian flag at the opening ceremony.
White says she’s physically ready to take on the best cross-country runners in her age group. She has put in the hard yards at training on Monday and Wednesday nights, and has a dedicated team behind her, giving her valuable tips to get the most out of her talent.
“I have a coach, who’s very supportive, and he helps me with all my running technique and things like that,” she said. “I’ve got a whole team that supports me, too.”
White looks up to Werribee athlete Morgan Mitchell. She would like to follow in Mitchell’s footsteps; her hero has represented Australia on the international stage.
“She came and watched me train once and told me just to keep on improving and keep on running. I want to be a professional athlete, maybe even compete in the Olympics.”
Western Athletics will take a strong team to the cross-country nationals, including Georgia Muller, Brandon Muscat, Ethan McMinimee, Bailey Rankin, Yara Taylor, Sophie McMinimee, Cody Shanahan, Daniel Dunstone, Liam Cashin, Claire Hodgart and Matthew Hussey.
