High hopes for young athlete

THE Olympics are set to begin in July, and one local high jumper has a goal to be on field in Paris to put on a show.

With a personal best of two metres, 30 centimetres, Wendouree Athletics Club’s Yual Reath aims to compete with the best in the world.

Currently the country’s third best male high jumper, Reath is ranked 29th in the world, holds the Ballarat athletics high jumping record, and recently won the Sydney Track Classic title.

“I’m in the world quota, and sitting at a pretty good spot,” he said.

“I’ve got nationals coming up this weekend on the 13th of April in Adelaide and since I’m up there in the top 32 in the world, I definitely have more of a chance of getting selected for the Australian Olympic Team.

“Australia can take three athletes for an event like high jump, and if I qualify, I’ll look for other competitions beforehand to get that confidence built in, and if I get to the Olympics, I’ll be ready.”

Paul Cleary has been coaching Reath for the last five years on field and in the gym.

“We do a lot of bounding and explosive work,” Cleary said. “He doesn’t run much further than probably 40 metres in training because he has to run nine strides and then go pop.

“You’ve got to be super fit and super strong.”

As they work towards Reath’s Olympic dream, Cleary said his attitude remains the same.

“I don’t take him any different than I always have,” he said. “It’s about training properly, getting things right and if there’s mistakes, we iron them out.

“It doesn’t matter what level they’re at, it’s all the same.

We work a little bit harder, get a little bit stronger, get a little bit faster, more explosive, and technically better.

“Some of the guys have a 10-year head start on Yual, but we’ve caught them.”

Alongside his goal to achieve at the highest level, Reath helps to coach children and said he aims to spark a passion for field athletics in the next generation.

“I want to encourage the kids that want to take up high jump,” Reath said.

“It’s hard for field events to be noticed more than the running, and I want field events to be noticed.

“When I’m competing, it’s like putting on a show. I want to be an entertainer and high jump can catch everybody’s eyes.”

Before he made the decision to fully focus on athletics, Reath was a landscaping apprentice.

But now he’s gone all-in on his sport, he is seeking the support of local sponsors to help him cover the cost of getting to upcoming competitions where he can perform, improve, and potentially qualify for the next Olympic games.

“He’s basically thrown his job in to concentrate on this one, so any financial support from anybody anywhere is a massive help to him,” Cleary said.

The community of Reath’s former school, Ballarat Christian College are also fundraising to support him.