ATHLETICS: When Sydney teenager, Samantha Geddes steps onto the track at the second summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, it will have been a long time coming for the youngster.
The Geddes family have plenty to cheer about, with both Sam and her brother, Jarrod, continuing to prove they mean business in the world of Athletics. Both will compete for Australia at an International level this year.
“It's not until maybe last year that I really understood that being selected in the Youth Team is something that I could realistically aspire to. I still don't think that it has even sunk in yet.”
Like many athletes competing in the track and field at the YOG, Geddes’ story began early on with Little Athletics.
Geddes began was she was just six years old and now, ten years later, she will begin what is shaping up to being a long and successful Olympic career.
“I think with any six-year-old interested in sport, it's such a cool thing to say that one day you're going to go to the Olympics or run for Australia.”
Competing in the 100m sprint, Geddes is following in the footsteps of her brother, who has done a great job blazing a trail for his younger sister.
Jarrod recently trained with Usain Bolt in Jamaica and will run at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, later this year.
The teenager cites her family as her main source of inspiration, especially all she learnt gain from having her brother by her side.
“I wouldn’t have gotten to this point of making something like the Youth team had I not been brought up with a family so encouraging to look upon.”
“I feel really lucky to have Jarrod with me. He’s been setting the bar very high for the past few seasons so it is really motivating to see hard work paying off in front of me,” she said.
“Even the simple things like travelling away together to compete just make running my best so much smoother and easier.”
While Jarrod goes from strength to strength, this year, Sam will be making waves of her own on the track, attempting to showcase in Nanjing, the immense talent that got her there in the first place.
Geddes has showed time and time again why she is one of the best her age, taking out the U18 100m Nationals title two years in a row.
On both occasions an injury hindered her preparations for the event, but she was able to overcome adversity to snatch gold.
“Stick with it. Things get rough, but, as Jarrod told me - those with the biggest hearts do the best. Nothing can replace the value of hard work.”
Even though training and competing take up a lot of her time, Geddes still manages to enjoy the little things.
“Playing and walking my three puppy dogs is definitely my favourite time of the day as well as watching the Diamond League meets.”
Despite having notched up some impressive milestones in her career, the 17-year-old says her inclusion in the Australian Youth Team is the highlight so far.
“I'm so proud and excited to be a part of every aspect of the Games, so hopefully it is one of many incredible highlights to come.”
Geddes will part of an 89-strong team heading to Nanjing, lead by eight-time Olympic Medallist and Chef de Mission for the Australian Team, Susie O’Neill.
The second summer Olympic Youth Games will take place in Nanjing, China from August 16 – 28, with the Athletics taking place from days 4 – 10 at the Nanjing Sports Olympic Centre.
Sam Rawlings
Olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam
