TWELVE-year-old Courtney Webeck has run her way to the top podium at this year’s national athletic schools championship, winning the 800 metre run in a close finish against the country’s fastest runners in the AWD events.
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Travelling to Canberra early this month to represent NSW at the Schoolsport Australian 12 Year and Under Track and Field Championship, the Barrington Public School student was part of a 152 strong NSW team competing with more than 700 athletes from all of over Australia. Over five days students turned up to support each other and compete, showing what mother Kate says was a “wonderful team spirit.”
Having run, jumped and thrown her way through the local, regional and state AWD (Athletes with Disabilities) championships held from the second half of this year, vision impaired Courtney said she was honoured to represent NSW in the shot put, 800m individual, and 8x80m relay events. The 12-year-old threw 3kg in the shot put against 11-year-olds throwing 2kg. Though she did not place, she more than made up for it on day two when she won the time final for the 800m event.
“She was in front leading the race for the first 250m, but was cut off as the lanes merged and found herself neck and neck with her closest rival, another NSW runner,” her proud father Peter Webeck said, watching it all from the sideline.
“She had been unwell in the lead-up, so we weren’t expecting her to win. It was a surprise she ran so well,” Kate said, adding that Courtney had received some helpful tips from other athletes during the lead-up to the event.
“But she’s pretty determined when she wants to be. We were shocked but so excited when she crossed the line first.”
She also came away with a second when her team won the 8x80m relay.
But it wasn’t all hard work, with some tourist trips in-between for the family along with a visit to Questacon with the entire retinue of the championships - all 700 of them. Along with making new friends, Courtney also met up with former Barrington student Eliza Ward (now living in Armidale) who was competing at the championship but in the high jump event.
Courtney backed up her national gold medal with Barrington Public School’s sports award, presented to her last week. She extends her thanks to all those who supported her during the journey. Now heading for Year 7 in 2016, her father said the whole experience has “made her very keen.”
“She wants to know, what’s next!”
