By Hayley Wildes
There is a star in the making at Pakenham Little Athletics.
His name is Xavier Ladbrook.
Xavier’s uncle, Mark Ladbrook, represented Australia at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and it’s fair to say nine-year-old Xavier has the perfect person ask advice of and to learn from.
Mark competed in the 400m and 4 x 400m relay – making the semi-final of the relay event. He was also the 400m National Champion in 1996.
When asked why he started Little Athletics, Xavier – who hails from Tynong North – highlighted his uncle.
“[I started Little Athletics] because my uncle did – he was an Olympian and he did the 400m.” Xavier said.
He may have started Little Athletics due to the inspiration of his uncle, but he keeps going back for other reasons.
“Making friends, high jump and the running – I like the long distance; 800m.” Xavier said.
As it turns out, Mark Ladbrook may have some competition in the future from Xavier in regards to being the best athlete in the family.
Earlier this month, at the 2018 Little Athletics Victoria State Track & Field Championships, Xavier blew away the competition in high jump and long jump – taking home gold medals in both U9 events.
In high jump, his favourite event, Xavier not only won gold; he broke the U9 state record. Jumping 130cm high, he broke the previous record by 3cm – with his nearest rival on the day a whopping 15cms (115cm) behind him.
Just as impressive was his performance in the long jump. Prior to the Championships, Xavier’s personal best was 4.11m; he managed to claim gold with a jump of 4.3m – smashing his previous personal best by 19cm.
Breaking records isn’t anything new for Xavier – he is the holder of roughly a dozen records at Pakenham Little Athletics! He holds records in 100m, long jump, high jump and 1100m in varying age groups from U6-U9s.
With Xavier appearing to possess unlimited bounce, the sky is the limit for this Pakenham Little Athletics star.
