WORLD AT THEIR FEET
Geelong sprinters Christian Davis, Mia Gross and Harvey Murrant are ready to take on the best of the best at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Finland.
MIA Gross has been “jumping out of her skin” to represent Australia.
Qualifying in March for the 2018 IAAF World Under-20 Championships, the talented Geelong sprinter is champing at the bit to pull on the green and gold in Finland next month.
“I am more that excited … I am super pumped,” Gross said yesterday.
“I’m over the moon, actually. The countdown has been on for quite a while.”
Gross, who competes for Deakin Athletics Club, joins fellow Geelong stars Christian Davis and Harvey Murrant in representing Australia at Tampere, Finland, from July 10 to 15.
Gross, 17, will compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m events, having gained automatic selection after a dominant performance at the national championships back in March.
Davis will run in the 400m and 4x400m relay, while Mur- rant is set for the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay.
Gross has set her sights on a medal with the relay team and will push for a place in the finals of the other sprints.
“Seeing as though I’m the youngest, I have another opportunity to go in two years’ time,” Gross said.
“So I’m fairly young, but if I work hard like I have for a couple of months now, I hope I can make the 200 final and the 100 semi.
“All the girls in the relay team are absolutely amazing and we all qualified with good times, so I reckon we’re a chance of making the final, doing well and hopefully getting a record of some sort.
“Ultimately, I’m just looking for some PBs and I hope I can run well for myself and my country.”
It will be Gross’ second venture overseas, having competed in the Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas last year, where she was injured in a freak accident.
“I was hurt in the warm up, so I didn’t get to perform as well as I’d hoped,” Gross said.
“I was on the warm-up track and I just wanted to do a lastminute run through. I came out of the blocks and at the same time a girl from another country walked across and didn’t look where she was going and I smashed into her and a hurdle and I came down nasty on my wrist. So I had to run with a broken wrist.”
Gross will miss the Youth Olympics, having opted to run in the world championships, after the events where scheduled at the same time.
“I’m looking forward to the experience and taking it all in,” Gross said.