Champ inspires kids in Buninyong

WORLD and Paralympic wheelchair racing champion Richard Coleman was at the Buninyong Little Athletics Centre last week to share his experiences with club members.

The visit was part of an initiative by Little Athletics Victoria to bring sporting stars to local clubs.

Coleman was born with Spina Bifida and has been involved in many sports from a young age.

He is currently the Australian and Oceania record holder the T53 class over the 200, 400 and 800-metre distances.

“It’s really important for me to be back involved because I started in Little Aths in under 11s and it gave me the option to do what I’ve done,” he said.

“It gave me the option to be treated equally as just another athlete, there was no segregation or separation.”

Now Coleman said he wants to share his experience to encourage other young athletes.

“There’s still a lot of kids who don’t do sport, so I’m trying to get as many kids involved in sport as possible so they see they can be successful,” he said.

“I want the kids to be confident to have a go, be involved, enjoy the experience and have fun.”

Buninyong Little Athletics committee member Gabby Allen said the afternoon was a source of inspiration for local competitors.

“It shows the kids that anything is possible and it doesn’t matter what physical state you’re in, you can achieve your goals as long as you work hard,” she said.

“I hope that they felt inspired by learning about his achievements and I think at a club level it highlights how important athletics is especially to the community.”