Australian athletics has new star with Queensland teenager Robbie Crowther claiming the World Junior Championship gold medal in the long jump in Beijing overnight.

Crowther, 19, turned his back on rugby league to accept a track and field scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport, produced the best ever jump by an Australian junior - an Oceania and Australian Under 20 record of 8.00m - to win the gold.

After a shaky start with two fouls in his first three rounds, Crowther uncorked his record breaking leap in round five and didn’t need to take his final jump in the competition having secured the gold medal.

American Antone Belt leapt a personal best for second (7.95m) with pre-event favourite Zhang Xiaoyi from China third (7.86m).

Crowther almost didn’t make it to Beijing after badly twisting his ankle after falling down the stairs at the AIS eight weeks ago.

Intensive treatment enabled him to compete on the Gold Coast prior to leaving for China, restoring his confidence prior to the Championships.

"It has been a huge journey for me and it’s a big relief to achieve this result. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved," Crowther said. 

"I was devastated when I didn’t make the Commonwealth Games team, but it was a good experience not making it, it made me stronger. Craig (Hilliard - coach) said to get ready for the World Juniors because he said I could win it – and he was right. I owe him everything."

An indigenous athlete, Crowther hails from Bowen in far North Queensland and has been guided by Australia’s leading jumps coach, Craig Hilliard, who has transformed the triple jumper into the finest junior long jumper in Australian history.

Hilliard guided the career of Olympic silver medallist Jai Taurima and Crowther now has his sights set on emulating ‘Jumping Jai’s Olympic heroics.

An elated Hilliard said the performance ranked up with Taurima’s silver in terms of the emotion he felt in watching his athlete perform.

"I’ve been lucky to have a lot of great moments, but this is up there. He is a great athlete and from where he was in 2004, to come this far is a credit to him. His moved a long way from home and sacrificed a lot. He deserves to be World Junior Champion," Hilliard said.

It is Australia’s 7th individual World Junior Championship gold medal and first since Jana Pittman’s double gold in 2000.

Athletics Australia