POPPY Austin has joined the ranks of the district’s elite champion sports people, winning the Australian Under-20 Female Cross Country Championship at Stromlo Forrest Park in the ACT last weekend.

The former Balmoral local represented South Australia after moving to Adelaide for university, grabbing her maiden national title in her second attempt.

“Ever since I was at primary school in Balmoral, I have competed in Cross Country running with my first ever medal being the grade 3-4 Girls Cross Country Champion,” Austin said of her beginning in the sport.

“Likewise at Hamilton College I competed at school, Glenelg Division and ICCES levels in cross country.”

Like many people during the COVID lockdowns, Austin took up running around the family property.

“It wasn’t until remote learning during COVID, when I wasn’t able to attend rowing training, that I started running around the roads at home to get fit,” she said.

“In March 2022 I decided to give up rowing and focus solely on running, with my first competition being the Victorian school girls competition in Bundoora where I placed second.

“Since watching Adelaide Olympians, Izzi Batt-Doyle and Jess Stenson  compete and win at the Commonwealth Games last year in Birmingham, I have been inspired to run.

“I am lucky now to train with Jess as part of Team Tempo under coach Adam Didyk (in Adelaide).”

Last weekend she lined up against the best runners in the nation and having already run at Stromlo Park earlier in her career, she was aware of what to expect from the course.

“I certainly wasn’t the race favourite with fourth placed Charli-Rose Carlyon from WA being the best on paper having been the top placed Australian in the Under-20s at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst this year,” Austin said.

“With over 80 of Australia and New Zealand’s best cross-country runners lining up at the start line, my plan was to go out hard and be with the top of the pack at the first corner and then try to stick with them for the rest of the race.

“Having run at Stromlo in February, I knew what to expect from the course and knew that it could have been anyone’s race on the day.

“I was trailing Queensland’s Isabelle Hunt until we hit the straight stretch coming into the start of my final 2.5km lap where I took the lead and remained there for the final 2.5km.”

Still being relatively new to the sport, Austin has goals to take her running further.

“I am open to wherever my running takes me (and) I would love to represent Australia either at the World Cross Country championships or maybe the Olympics one day,” she said.

“My next step is to run against the top placed 16 – 20-year-old girls at a national level to win a spot on the Australian team competing in the World Cross Country Championships in Croatia in February 2024.

“My coach has also suggested that I attend the FISU (International University Sports Federation) world university championship cross country being held in Muscat in February 2024, however my focus is to make the Worlds in Croatia which is around the same time.”