By JARROD POTTER
MULTI-TALENTED athlete Dayna Crees is set to challenge the rest of Australia across a wide range of events when she flies to Brisbane in a fortnight.
The 11-year-old all-round athlete from Berwick earned her rightful place in the School Sport Victoria (SSV) under-12 state team after a pair of victories at the state championships in October.
While representing Berwick Fields Primary School at the State Primary Track and Field Championships last month, Crees won gold medals in the Girls’ 9-13-years 100m Athletes With Disability (AWD) and the Shotput AWD category.
Crees has a condition called hereditary spastic paraplegia – which affects balance and muscle development – but she hasn’t let it stop her becoming a state champion and hopefully Dayna can keep her winning ways going at the nationals.
“I competed in shot put and got a score of 3.93 metres and I came first in that, and then I competed in the 100 metres sprint and I finished in 19.19 seconds and got first in that as well,” Crees said.
“I just have a passion for it – I like throwing and stuff and also running.
“It’s really exciting and I’m really happy (to represent Victoria).”
Her event card for the national championships is a mouthful: shot put, discus, long jump, 100m and 200m sprints and also the relays.
Her aim for the championships is simple – she wants to pick up a couple of medals, especially if one of them is in her beloved 100 metres sprint.
“I at least want to get even maybe a bronze medal, it would be good to get even silver or a gold,” Crees said.
“I don’t know how I’ll go though, as I’ve heard there are a lot of strong teams up there so it might be hard to compete against them, but I’ll just give it my best.”
On top of her athletics, Crees is also a keen swimmer and plays basketball for Berwick Basketball Club.
The School Sport Australia 12 Years and Under National Track and Field Championships will be held in Brisbane from 22-26 November.
