Moana sprinter Czenya Cavouras among favourites for tomorrow’s Flagstaff Hill women’s Gift

A PASSION for other sports has fuelled Czenya Cavouras’s rapid rise in athletics — now she is one of the favourites for tomorrow’s Flagstaff Hill Gift.

A PASSION for other sports has fuelled Czenya Cavouras’s rapid rise in athletics.

Cavouras, 21, heads into tomorrow’s Flagstaff Hill women’s Gift as one of the favourites but she only took up sprinting two years ago.

Before that the Moana resident had been a state junior judo champion, a top surf lifesaver and represented SA in touch football.

She continues to compete in several sports — surf lifesaving, touch football, social basketball and swimming for South Coast — despite some objections from her coach John LeRay.

“It definitely helps having a fitness base and makes it a lot more interesting,” Cavouras says of juggling other sports with athletics.

“Running can get a bit boring just running and running around a track so any alternate training is good.

“But John is not too keen on it.

“I really like the challenge and the team atmosphere that comes with those types of sports.”

Cavouras took up athletics after attending the Flagstaff Gift two years ago and being asked to compete in a footballers’ relay.

She had an impressive debut season in 2012/13, winning the 70m sprint at Tea Tree Gully and the 120m race at Hectorville and Flagstaff.

“I was just happy to be out there participating and wasn’t expecting anything but got a bit of a lucky streak.”

So far this campaign, Cavouras is winless but she is confident of success at Flagstaff, where she will compete in the 120m and 400m.

“Because it’s our home meet I want to do really well for the club,” she says.

“Having won it last year I want to see if I can do it again.”