Former Adelaide 36er Peter Biggs joins son Josh as a sprinter at Flagstaff Hill Atheltics Club
PETER Biggs was once renowned for burning off defenders on the basketball court, but these days he spends his time burning up the track.
PETER Biggs was once renowned for burning off defenders on the basketball court, but these days he spends his time burning up the track.
A member of the original Adelaide 36ers squad, Biggs spent three seasons training alongside Adelaide basketball royalty like Al Green, Mark Davis and Mike McKay during the 1980s.
But a desire to spend time with 15-year-old son, Josh, saw Biggs switch to athletics at the age of 48 last season.
"It was down to one reason and that was my son, Josh,'' Biggs says when explaining his decision to take up sprinting with the SA Athletic League last year.
"I originally wanted to steer Josh down the basketball track, but that didn't work out and he didn't play any sport at all for about six months.
"One day, he came home and said 'dad, I'm doing OK at athletics at school'."
The pair quickly found their way to Flagstaff Athletics Club with the legendary handicap athletics trainer John LeRay.
Rather than watch from the sidelines, Biggs joined in and says it was one of the best decisions he has ever made.
Biggs has had four, top- three finishes in his year in the sport, but says the highlight so far was watching Josh win the junior 70m handicap at Tea Tree Gully last season.
"To see how much that meant to him brought a tear to my eye,'' he says.