Kuala Lumpur fires discus teen
Rockingham teenager Lachlan Stewart has twirled his way into the International Little Athletics Competition with an impressive discus throw.
To qualify for the international competition in Kuala Lumpur the 14-year-old threw 45.18m in the State Championships in March, securing a gold medal and a spot in the squad.
Lachlan said his journey in athletics started when his dad took him down to the Rockingham Little Athletics Club when he was about six years old to keep up his fitness.
"I just started and realised it was pretty fun, I never used to be any good at it but I just trained and got better," he said.
Lachlan said when he reached under-10s he realised his skills lay in discus.
"I won the discus competition and I realised I was throwing further than any of the other kids," he said.
Lachlan said improving in the sport meant lots of repetition.
"Just going through the drills, and going through stages of the throw - the standing throw and the spin," he said.
"You have to get in the right position, discus is really technical, you have to focus on every stage and it is really hard to get right but when you get it right it works.
"Only at the end of last year did I really get the proper hang of it."
Training both with the Rockingham club and at the WA Athletics Stadium ahead of the international competition, Lachlan said he had to plan his skill peak at the right time to ensure a great performance in KL.
He said was looking forward to the challenge of putting his training into practice on a global level.
"When I get in the circle I just forget everything and don't listen to anything and I just throw - because training is time for thinking, competition is time for acting," he said.
Lachlan's dad and coach, Guy Stewart, said he was incredibly proud.
"He trains really hard and has worked on all aspects of the throw and in the last two months before the State competition it really came together and I knew he was going to do something special and he did," he said. Lachlan will travel to KL in July as part of the WA State team to compete.
