In an inspiring display of grit and determination, Narrabri’s Mia Croker raced her way to a silver medal at the 2024 Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane earlier this month.
The 17-year-old competed in the highly demanding under-18 girls 2km steeplechase at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre during the event that was held from Friday, December 6 through to Sunday, December 8.
She defied the odds after a recent calf injury had kept her from full-capacity training in the lead-up to the event and matched her personal best time as she ran a 7:16.38.
That saw her finish second to fellow NSW athlete Zoe Woods, who won with an impressive time of 7:06.54.
The race was the latest chapter in what is an intriguing rivalry between those two athletes, who went head-to-head back in October at the NSW All Schools Championships at Sydney Olympic Park, where Mia claimed the gold medal and Zoe earned silver in a race that saw them both qualify for Nationals.
Mia told The Courier that she was proud of her National All School Championships effort and was stoked to bring home a medal.
“It was really fun,” Mia said.
“Zoe, who won, I’d beaten her at state but she has been running really well.
“It was a really good race and it was quite hot.
“A few weeks before, I’d strained my calf in training, so I had to cross train for a bit, so I think it went quite well after I had to pull back on training.”
Mia attended primary school from Kindergarten to Year 6 in Narrabri at St Francis Xavier’s Primary School and started at The Armidale School from Year 7.
Following a sporty childhood that saw her play junior touch footy, cricket and soccer as well as competing in little athletics in Narrabri, it was at TAS that she discovered an interest in steeplechase, which has taken her to Sydney this year where she is now a Year 12 student at Pymble Ladies’ College.
Steeplechase combines distance running with hurdles and water jumps and is known for its gruelling nature, requiring a unique blend of endurance, strength, and technique.
Mia first took part in the event as a Year 8 student in Armidale but only started taking it seriously at the start of this year. She has excelled all year and has raced her way to several significant podium finishes.
She lined up at the 2024 Athletics NSW Junior State Championships at Sydney Olympic Park in March and secured a bronze medal finish to qualify for the Nationals in Adelaide in April.
A training injury prevented her from competing there, but she bounced back after a six-month break to win gold and silver medals at the state and national schools events.
Her gold medal run at the NSW All Schools Champs in Sydney also saw her set a 21-second PB.
The Narrabri girl also lined up for Pymble Ladies’ College’s senior team at the National Schools Challenge Final in Brisbane last Monday, where she finished eighth out of 20 in the 1500m senior girls final and helped her school place second overall.
Mia is thriving following her move to Sydney and is now coached by Deb Walsham, who is a member of Athletics Australia’s Women in High Performance Coaching Program.
“I was doing all my training on my own and coaching myself when I was in Armidale, so it has been good to be a part of a squad now with structured training,” Mia said.
“Deb is a really good coach.”
Despite several injury setbacks in 2024, the young athlete’s explosive performance on the track at the All Schools event has placed her among some of the best young athletes in the country.
She is now focused on the 2025 season, during which she will make the jump to 3km steeplechase in the under-20s division, which will see her compete against 18- and 19-year-olds.
“The next big goal for me is to qualify for World Juniors in 2026, and then I want to progress from there,” Mia said.
“That is like the under-20s world championships, and in 2026 they are going to be held in Oregon in America.
“When I get to the opens after that, I’d like to go pro and really just go as far as I can.”
To order photos from this page click here
