Sunbury Little Athletics Centre has a new national champion.
Late last month, Elias Kahsay won gold in the under-13 boys 800 metres at the Australian Little Athletics Championships in Sydney.
It comes after he made the final in both the under-14 400 metres and 800 metres at the Australian Athletics Championships in early April.
In the past six months he also won gold at the Athletics Victoria championships and Little Athletics Victoria Championships, both in the 800 metres.
The recently finished little athletics season was the 13-year-old’s first full season of little athletics.
It’s a long way from 18 months ago when he didn’t like running. Kahsay said he only dropped in at Sunbury Little Athletics because he’d been doing well at athletic events at school.
Brooke Rennie, an integration aide at Kahsay’s primary school in Sunbury, recognised his talent.
Ms Rennie’s son was involved at Sunbury Little Athletics and she offered to drive Kahsay to and from his Ascot Vale home each week so he could compete.
The 13-year-old now has his sights set on making the Olympics.