WRESTLING: With just two months to go until the second summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) kick off in Nanjing, China, the Australian Team has been given an extra boost following the selection of wrestling.
Sixteen-year-old Ben Pratt from the ACT will join close to 90 of Australia’s best and brightest young athletes when they head to China in August.
Just like many other athletes, the YOG can’t come soon enough.
“What I'm looking forward to doing the most is having some new experiences in a new place, with new people, and most of all new competition,” Pratt said.
“Everyone seems to be really proud, which is more than I could ask for.”
Many kids his age dream of a career in sport, but it wasn’t something Pratt ever imagined for himself.“I never really gave a thought to doing anything big with it,” he said.
“But as time went on I started showing a bit of promise and have just kept training and competing because it's fun.”
Pratt picked up wrestling during his early years in high school, but while a combat sport was not what most kids his age were doing, Pratt felt it was the right choice.
“I was getting picked on loads and punching was never something I’d been happy doing, so when I was in year seven I started wrestling and I haven't looked back,” said Pratt
“I had always played rugby union for as long as I could remember, so when I realized the sport is all about putting someone down it was a no brainier.”
“I have transformed as an athlete and as a person because of it,” the youngster said.
In 2014 Pratt showed his immense skill by putting together some impressive results. He picked up a gold medal at the Oceania Wrestling Championships in American Samoa, winning his bout 10-0. The event was the qualifying event for the YOG.
Wrestling is one of the last sports to be announced in the Australian Youth Team, but that won’t hinder any of Pratt’s plans to get the most out of the time left until competition.
“In any sport there is always room for improvement, I feel like I'm doing pretty well and I have a few ideas of what I want to do but as I said there are always things to work on,” Pratt said.
Australia is on track to send 89 athletes from 23 sports to the YOG, all of which will be guided by Chef de Mission, Susie O’Neill.
The second Summer Youth Olympic Games commence in Nanjing, China on Saturday 16 August and run for 12 days. Wrestling will take place on days 9-11 at the Longjiang Gymnasium.
Sam Rawlings
Olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam
2014 Australian Youth Olympic Team - Wrestling section
Ben Pratt (16)
