Hurdler to represent Victoria

By Lachlan Ellis

A Bacchus Marsh Little Athlete will compete for Victoria for the first time this month, being named in the state squad for a national event.

Thirteen-year-old Nicholas Ide will compete in the 90 metre hurdles at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships, which run from Friday 21 April to Sunday 23 April at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park.

Nicholas’ dad Jorge said Nicholas is a passionate athlete, and the family is beyond proud of his achievement.

“We’ve been working hard with him, he loves his sport. So I’m very proud of my son. He loves his athletics and his footy,” Mr Ide told the Moorabool News.

“For him, it’s a great achievement. The last two years he’s been running very well and has been competing at the state level. This is something higher than the state level, to be selected to compete for Victoria is something very important for him. He can’t wait to run next week.”

Nicholas began participating in Bacchus Marsh Little Athletics at the Under 6 level, and Mr Ide says hopes are high for a podium finish in the hurdles.

“He’s pretty good at the hurdles. Every year the hurdles get higher and the distance changes…this year my son unfortunately isn’t growing as fast as he’d like, but he’s qualified for the team and he’s grateful for that,” he said.

“We’d love to see him up on the podium, we’ll wait and see.”