Description
Hi, my name is Ethan Walker and I have been selected to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Area and Combined Events Championships in Townsville in June this year. This is a huge honor for me as it is my first opportunity to represent NZ.
The journey towards my sporting career in javelin started on the 16th of March in 2016. I threw javelin for the very first time in my school athletics competition when I was just 14. It was a shock to me and everyone else watching when I did a decent throw of 31m. My peers encouraged me to compete in the Otago Championships and then in the South Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships, where I threw a massive 41m with zero training. Seeing this potential, we decided to make contact with coach Raylene Bates, who has now got me throwing close to 60m.
I have attended multiple National Secondary Schools Athletics Competitions and won the under-15 title in 2016. This year I competed in two divisions and came first in the under-18 competition and third in the under-20 competition. I have multiple school, Otago and South Island records under my belt.
Yet all these accomplishments haven’t come easy. The biggest struggle I have had with my career is having to push through plateaus where I wasn’t improving my throwing distance. Raylene has worked with me to improve my technique, refine my skills and taught me the importance of training core muscles and not just relying on strength. Travel and finances have also been a struggle as I live in rural Otago and have to travel long distances to get to training and competitions. My parents and my extended family do their very best to help finance my athletic career and are a huge support to me. I couldn’t do it without them. However they cannot always afford to be there and often sacrifice themselves financially so that I can get to the places I need to be. These struggles haven’t stopped me and I am determined to rise to my full potential.
My aim is to get to the Commonwealth Games or even the Olympic Games if I am lucky enough to get that opportunity. But for these hopes and dreams to become reality I need your help to get me to the 2019 Oceania Competition in June. Attending this competition is a huge opportunity for me. I want to showcase to myself and my coach that I can perform in overseas events and build belief in what I might be able to achieve in the future.
