Teen takes wins in his stride

By Paul Pickering
JORDAN Williamsz isn’t too modest to admit he’s having a good run.
The 16-year-old Haileybury College student has made huge strides in his sport over the last six months, culminating in his selection in the Australian junior team for the 2009 World Youth Athletics Championships in July.
Williamsz will head to Italy as the national under-18 champion in the 800m, and that is just one of his recently-acquired titles. Others include: triple Youth Olympics gold medallist, dual Victorian Schools champion and dual Pacific School Games gold medallist.
The Boronia teenager says those accolades are still sinking in, but knows he’s made ‘a bit of a breakthrough’.
Williamsz developed his passion for running after joining Knox Athletics Club at the age of nine.
He won his first Victorian cross-country title at 10, before evolving into an elite track runner in the 1500m, 3000m and steeplechase events.
That evolution has continued with his shift towards the 800m, and he attributes his recent success to a timely growth spurt and the rewards of ongoing work with coach Richard Huggins.
Williamsz’ already stunning 2009 began with gold medals in the 800m, 1500m and 4 x 400m relay at the Youth Olympics in January.
He followed that up with a strong showing against open competition in February’s Victorian Championships, where he ran a personal-best time over 800m (1:50.4) in finishing seventh behind his part-time training partner – and Beijing Olympian – Jeff Riseley and national team member Jeremy Roff.
Next up was his first crack at the Stawell Gift last month, where he made the 1600m final in his first professional race.
Having surpassed every goal he had set for himself, Williamsz was forced to reassess his standing in the sport.
“Making the World Youth team wasn’t really a priority, because I thought it would be out of my reach,” he reflected this week.
“But then I ran a couple of quick times and it brought everything into perspective – it became a possibility.”
It’s now a reality, and Williamsz has begun to contemplate some more lofty goals, including the 2012 London Olympics.
“Not many people have made the Olympics in their first year out of juniors, but if I keep improving I suppose you can never count it out,” he said.
“With running, it’s a big thing to go from juniors to seniors and still be competitive – I think it’s about 10 per cent of athletes who can do it.
“But if I’m still competitive at senior level I’ll be taking every opportunity I get.”
Williamsz believes his relationship with Riseley – who trains with Huggins on a part-time basis – might give him a head start on his rivals when it comes to making the jump to the senior ranks.
“Jeff’s pretty much my hero,” he said.
“I look up to him a lot. He’s a good role model and a good bloke to talk to.”
When questioned as to whether he has dreamt of running alongside his mentor on the international stage one day, the competitor in Williamsz comes out.
“Yeah, that’d be good,” he said. “I’d like to beat him.”