Amelia Poulos has been a member of North Wollongong Surf Lifesaving Club for just one season. She had never contested a beach race prior to the Branch Championships. She’s now a state silver medalist.
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The nine-year-old finished second in the under 10 beach sprint at the recent NSW Junior Championships. The victory came after she claimed gold in the sprint, flags and beach relay events at last month’s Illawarra Branch Championships.
“She’s only done nippers just this season,” mother Daniele Poulos said. “For someone who’s never done it before, it was remarkable getting a silver.
“For her to have no nippers training, and the three gold she got at Branch, that was her first carnival, state was her second carnival. It was amazing, so exciting.”
While Poulos has starred on the sand, she has also emerged as a talent on the track. Poulos is a member of Wollongong City Little Athletics Club and is trained by Rick Watkins and Ron Thompson. She will attempt to add to her surf lifesaving silver medal at next weekend’s NSW Little Athletics State Championships in Homebush.
Poulos will compete in the 70 metre, 100m and 200m sprint events after finishing second in the 70m and first in the 100m and 200m finals at the recent Region Championships.
Danielle said her daughter is a natural who has loved running since she was a very young child.
“She’s been running since she could walk, it was all she did. We used to have to run her like she was a pony.
“We would take her to the park to run and shes been running ever since. She’s fallen in love with it, but still only been training for a year, which is quite remarkable.”
However, the results, according to Danielle, are a direct response to the hard work Amelia puts in on the track and on the sand.
“She trains so hard for her running, that’s her passion, all she wants to do is run. Training never gets cancelled, she’ll train in mud, rain, the middle of winter, and she never complains or says she never wants to go to training.”