By JARROD POTTER
STEPHANIE Bilston has hopped, stepped and jumped her way into the top echelon of Australian junior athletics.
The St Margaret’s School student is leaping ahead with her triple jump after a breakout season in the Victorian ranks.
Despite badly hurting her ankle, and forced to jump off her wrong foot, Bilston, 13, from Narre Warren, still managed to finish third in the Victorian Junior Championships and book herself a spot on the team to Sydney for the nationals.
“Ankle hurt a bit and injured it before the competition,” Bilston said.
“All the other girls were pretty good, but weren’t on their best on the day and I did a jump, which was off my wrong foot, and it was 9.18m – and that got me to the position.
“I got on the podium and all that and in order to go through to nationals I had to join senior athletics so I joined at Casey Cardinia Athletics Club.”
In the women’s under 14 triple jump – Bilston finished ninth in the country with a 9.65-metre personal best jump at the championships held at Sydney Olympic Park earlier this month.
This season has been about putting serious attention into the discipline, and Bilston is reaping the results so far – already improving her personal best jump to 9.65 metres.
“I’ve improved since the states and I got a PB (personal best) and I beat that PB at nationals; 9.62 and the one at nationals was 9.65,” Bilston said.
“This year is probably the year I’ve been more serious about it – other years have been a bit more fun.”
She found herself in the triple jump after being asked at her school to participate, and fell in love with the discipline after her first event.
“I’ve been doing it for five years – I started Little Athletics when I was in under 8s and then I quit for a year to join dance, but I came back after that and haven’t stopped since,” Bilston said.
“I started when I was in Year 3, they were trying out for the sport triple jump and they came around the classrooms asking if anyone wanted to join and I put my name down.
“It turned out I was the best in the Year 3-4 level, and I trained a bit more with my dad down at the local track and went to my first competition and won it.”
She hopes to improve her best mark past 10 metres this year and will compete at the Little Athletics Victoria State Track and Field Championships this weekend at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park.
