Running against the world’s junior champs

JOSHUA LEVI

AT the age of only 16, Steve Solomon will represent Australia at the World Junior Championships in Athletics in Canada in July.

The runner will represent his country in the 4×400 metre relay, after he finished third at the National Junior Track and Field Championships at Sydney Olympic Park last month.

Solomon only began running last year and was selected for Athletics Australia’s under-19 talent squad just six months after taking up the sport.

“I’m so excited that I can’t put it into words,” the Sydneysider told The AJN.

“Because I only started proper training last year, I wasn’t expecting to be in the team, but I was really hoping I would be.”

At the national championships, he missed the gold medal in the 400 metre race by only 0.16 seconds when he ran 47.77 seconds in the under-20 race, despite being eligible to compete in the under-18 race.

“I knew that the under-20 boys would push me to run a lot faster and I also knew that if I wanted to make the team, I would have to get noticed.

“I’m always focusing on my next competition because each competition result will lead to bigger opportunities,” Solomon said.

“While my long-term goal is the Olympics, London [in 2012] is unlikely, and I’m just focused on the world championships now,” he added.

He is one of 38 rising stars to be chosen for the event.

Len Bogatin, president of Melbourne’s Maccabi Athletics Club — Australia’s only Jewish athletics club — said Solomon is a real talent.

“It’s clear he is an exceptional ¬≠athlete,” Bogatin said.

“We’ve only ever had one other Jewish athlete, Gary Brown, make the world junior athletics team before. It’s amazing that he’s doing so well after only a year of running,” he added.

The 13th International Association of Athletic Federations World Junior Championships in Athletics will be held in Moncton, Canada from July 19-25 this year.