Young High Flyer aiming for 10 out of 10Written on the 19 May 2019 by SWSAS
Noakes who attends the Macarthur Anglican School has well and truly announced his arrival in the world of Decathlon! A solid track runner with a love of athletics and a strong desire to compete, almost by accident started building his skills in this most gruelling of events. A dominant performance at the NSW championships where his strength, durability & consistency had him crowned champion; automatic selection into the NSW team for the Australian Combined Event Championships, held in Tasmania was the reward. The Australian Championships was viewed as an opportunity to gain valuable experience whilst also measuring himself against the best athletes in the country. Noakes was certainly not overawed by the occasion. He blitzed his NSW championship result, set a new personal best (5499 points) and found his way onto the podium grabbing a national bronze medal at his first attempt! Decathlon consists of 10 events where athletes accumulate points; per event, over 2 full days of competition. Day one starts with the 100m sprint followed by the long jump, shot put, high jump and the 400m to finish the day. Day 2 begins with the 110m hurdles, then the discus, pole vault, javelin and is concluded with the 'lung busting' 1500m. The reality that medal colours could be determined in this final event brings a smile to the face of those that are suitable for Decathlon. Thomas Noakes is one of these!  Of this experience, a visibly excited Noakes said "It was amazing!! Competing alongside the best athletes in the country - I'm looking forward to working even harder to improve my placing next year. With 10 events there is so much opportunity to score more points! Knowing where to focus my energy is a challenge. Preparing for Decathlon can be quite tactical" Most young athletes, as they move their way through 'Little A's' and the like, will experience most events contained within the Decathlon except for the Pole Vault! Since starting with his Pole Vault specific coach Noakes has been improving rapidly. Competing at the Australian track and field championships in the under 17's division, 15-year-old Noakes again set a new personal best jumping a very impressive 3.60 metres, taking 7th place. The Australian track and field championships was held in April, at Sydney Olympic Park with 3500 of the best athletes in the country competing. The SWSAS Wests future stars program supports athletes in individual competition-based sports. Requiring 6 pairs of shoes to compete in Decathlon as well as requiring multiple coaches and extensive travel will ensure Thomas utilises his full range of scholarship entitlements. For information about the SWSAS Wests Future Stars Scholarship Program Contact Academy Sports Program Manager, James Watson on 0246 277 622 or james@swsas.org.au
Author:SWSAS |
South West Sydney Academy of Sport (SWSAS) through its Wests Future Stars program is pleased to announce the commencement of scholarship for Douglas Park athlete Thomas Noakes.