By JARROD POTTER
FINAL preparations have come and gone for Casey Cardinia Athletics Club member Matt de Bruin as he readies himself for the IAAF World Junior Championships.
He’s already set off – leaving for Vancouver last week – as his last preparations for the games in Eugene, Oregon take him to a training camp with the rest of the Australian Spark junior athletics team.
The 18-year-old hurdler, from Pakenham, said last week before he set off it was finally sinking in that he’s set to represent Australia after a year of hard training and racing.
“It’s taken a while – it’s hard as there’s so much to do and so much going on in your head for it to actually sink in,” de Bruin said.
“But the last four days it has really sunk in – just laying in bed thinking I’ll be in Vancouver this time next week and it’s going to happen.
“I’m a bit scared, but really excited and don’t know what to expect.”
His last few runs in Australia were exceptional for the 100m hurdling specialist – clocking a hand-time in a cold, Box Hill scratch race of 13.6 – which if he ran it in an official race would have beaten his Victorian junior state record of 13.74.
“Everything is coming together slowly,” de Bruin said.
“Few months ago I was a bit worried as I didn’t run amazingly at nationals and still had a lot in me and was worried I wouldn’t be able to get into the best form I could be.
“But the last few weeks have been really good and confidence boosting.
“The training is going really well – feeling very strong and the gym is going well too – and it’s all coming together well on the track.”
Be Bruin just wants to keep his body intact – and suffer no more injuries leading into the Championships – such as the hamstring strain that set him back in the last couple of months.
“I just need to get some quality training in and try and stay fit and healthy – do all the right things so the body is in the best condition possible – recovery, stretching and all the little things outside of the main races,” de Bruin said.
“My goal is just to stay together – keep my body together and that’s the main thing.”
His first race at the championships will be the heats of the 100m hurdles at 10.50am Pacific Time Zone on Tuesday 22 July.
