Sport
5 November, 2022
Moorina athlete ready for national titles
WITH a gold medal at state level under his belt, Caboolture Amateur Athletics member Luke La Spina is ready to step up a level and compete on the national scene.
A resident of Moorina and a Year 10 student at the Caboolture-based St Columban’s College, Luke will race in the U16 boys 400m at the Australian All Schools Track and Field Championships.
The championships will be held at the Adelaide-based SA Athletics Stadium from December 9 to 11.
In his fourth year with Caboolture Amateur Athletics, Luke said he chose to focus solely on 400m races after his coach and mum Vanessa said it was his best event.
In the recent Queensland All Schools Championships at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), Luke won the U16 boys 400m as he achieved a personal best time of 52.14 seconds.
Having previously clinched silver and bronze at this event, Luke said he “felt accomplished” to gain the top podium placing this year.
Although not disappointed with his second and third placings in previous years, Luke said he was determined to bring home the gold medal.
“If you don’t train, you won’t achieve it,” he said.
Luke said he was “excited and nervous” about competing in next month’s national titles.
Luke trains at the Caboolture athletics track four times each week as he alternates between speed, endurance and fartlek training.
With the 400m distance, Luke said it was “a strategic race” and that it was necessary to go full throttle from start to finish rather than to pace oneself.
“You need to feel dead at the end (of the race),” he said.
Looking beyond this year, Luke said selection for the U20 world championships in 2024 was a possible goal.
Asked if there were any athletes who he particularly admired, Luke singled out South African track and field sprinter Wayde van Niekerk.
Van Niekerk won the men’s 400m in the 2016 Olympics with a world record time of 43.03 seconds, and was the first to complete the 400m in less than 44 seconds.
In the same year, van Niekerk also became the first ever sprinter to run 100m in less than 10 seconds, and to run 200m in less than 20 seconds.
