PUTTING his running to good use off the footy field, Upper Beaconsfield running machine Joshua Mounter earned himself Victorian selection in cross country.
The 13-year-old St Francis Xavier College student traded his footy boots for runners as he tore around the parkland at the School Sport Victoria cross country championships held at Bundoora Park last month.
He fought his way up through the pack to finish 13th, and at one point took the lead, leaving Mounter extremely pleased with his performance in one of his non-preferred sports.
“At the start I was probably mid-way in the pack then worked my way up and gradually took over and at one stage I was coming first in the racing but ended up coming 13th,” Mounter said.
“It was a pretty good outcome, I reckon I could have put in a bit more effort at the end, but it’s still a great result.”
His School Sport Victoria cross country championships’ performance earned Mounter a ticket to the next level as he’s set to compete for Victoria at the Australian Cross Country Championships on Saturday 29 August at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
He hopes to rise up the ranks again and settle somewhere near the top of the table, but isn’t taking the competition lightly as he continues to up the ante in training.
“I was pretty happy to get that result because obviously I had to train hard,” Mounter said. “Everyone trains and they’re a lot fitter and all that, so it’s good to still be at the front of the pack and doing well.
“I’ll probably just try my hardest and I want to come in the top-20 – really want to make that top 20 in Australia.”
While he loves his footy – and also plays basketball for Beacy Bandits – he’s happy to pursue athletic ambitions on the side and continue to push himself in whatever code that takes his fancy.
“I use my speed and pace to help me in footy games and break away from the packs and just use it,” Mounter said. “I probably prefer footy, but it’s still good to do this and it’s something I want to get better at.”
Mounter wanted to thank his parents for running around with him and helping him improve in all his sporting endeavours.
