Published on Thursday, 7 May 2020 at 5:06:13 PM

Chris, Alex and Jack Wright

Little Athletics is buzzing in Bassendean with the three Wright brothers competing in the Australian All Schools Championships in Perth recently.

Why they started athletics

The boys started athletics simply because they enjoyed competing and learning.  They actually didn’t care where they finished. They just wanted to do their best.  It was common for them to finish towards the back of the field in the second or third heat.  Doing a personal best was what mattered most.  As they matured, and continued to work hard, success started to come.  Athletics has a way of catering for all body shapes and ability levels.  There are sprints, distance runs, different jumps and different throws, and given the emphasis athletics places on personal achievement, there is something there for children of all abilities.

 Recent Achievements

• Chris and Jack competed in the under-14 3,000m race walk and hammer throw at the Australian All School Championships, and Alex in the under-16 long jump and hammer throw.  All the boys finished in the top 8, with Jack picking up national bronze medal in the walk, placing him third in the nation
• The boys competed in the WA Athletics State Championships, with Jack winning gold to be state champion and Chris silver to be runner-up. Winning a medal qualifies you for the Australian championships at Olympic Park in Sydney, however it was cancelled due to Covid-19. In a planned Olympic year, they would have trained alongside the Australian Olympic team
• Their younger sister Madeline qualified to compete at the Little Athletics State Championships but this was also cancelled
• Alex won Champion Boy at his school’s swimming carnival
• It has been an exciting year for the North Bassendean Little Athletics Club
• Over the past 12 months, six athletes competed for WA in athletics.  For a small club, that is a massive achievement.

Challenges to train during lockdown:

Keeping fit has been an interesting challenge.  Initially the sudden closure of everything led to days of not doing a lot.  This led to a lot of extra energy in the household that was not perhaps a great fit.  The phrase ‘get out and don’t come back till 5km’ became common.  

Comments from Dad

"Things have worked themselves out a bit more.  Jack and Chris have taken to going on long cycling rides, and Alex has been getting up before his online schooling and getting in a workout often dictated by his Garmin watch. It could be a longer run or a series of interval workouts.  He enjoys being able to plan ahead of time and review, whereas the twins just go for a ride or a run.  It is really about finding out what works for you.”

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