WestMAC student Mia Kertesz going for gold at 2023 World Dwarf Games

She’s only 13, but this plucky Ipswich teen has set herself two huge challenges — getting to the World Dwarf Games in July and raising the hefty $10,000 she needs to pay for her dream.

Mia Kertesz at the Australian School Championships.

West Moreton Anglican College student Mia Kertesz might be small, but she dreams big.

The plucky 13-year-old is aiming to jag a swag of gold for her country in July after being selected for the World Dwarf Games in Cologne, Germany.

Mia says she is just like any ordinary teenager and has a huge passion for individual and team sports.

But unlike her peers she has Achondroplasia, most commonly known as dwarfism.

This year is the first time Australia has put forward a junior team for the world Games and said she was not about to miss what could literally be a golden opportunity.

Mia Kertesz at the Australian School Championships, where she won gold for Queensland in track and field.

“I am most looking forward to playing basketball, with soccer a close second, because I finally get to compete with teammates that are just like me and against other people my height,” she said.

“I also can’t wait to meet and get to know people from other countries and to make lots of new friends.”

“I only really know of five other girls with short stature in Australia. The only other 13-year-old lives in Tasmania.”

Mia is a national-level track and field athlete and a skilled cross-country runner, winning the 2022 Australian U12s School Sport championships.

Her proud mum Deanne Kertesz said she wished there was an equal opportunity to pursue team sports in Australia for children such as her daughter.

Mia Kertesz at the Australian School Championships.

“Mia does school netball but can only play at the lowest division as the other players tower over her height-wise,” Ms Kertesz said.

About 80 per cent of children born with dwarfism have average-height parents with no family history of the condition.

“To put things in perspective, Mia’s six-year-old brother is taller than her but she has just turned 13,” Ms Kertesz said.

“Mia is having some success but she is still up against average athletics whose bodies are much stronger and faster.’’

She said there were inequalities within individual parasports which discriminated against short-statured athletes who could not compete without medical clearance.

Mia needed a medical certificate to compete in most individual track and field events, ostensibly to ensure she did not hurt herself.

But Ms Kertesz said injuries could happen regardless of the level of precautions taken, even by an able-bodied athlete.

“Anyone could hurt themselves while running,” she said.

“It’s just another hurdle we have to deal with.

Mia Kertesz and a friend at the FireBirds game tested out their wingspan.

“Going to Germany and competing at the World Dwarf Games is more about the experience for my daughter and her junior team.

“This will be their first time competing in an even playing field where everyone will mostly be the same height, but this will only happen every four years.”

Mia Kertesz said she dreamt of competing at the 2032 Paralympics in Brisbane and was treating the World Dwarf Games in July as a stepping stone.

Her family is trying to raise $10,000 through GoFundMe to help her get to Germany and cover training costs, insurance, uniforms and other expenses.

“I am so excited and privileged to be able to compete and wear the green and gold uniform,” Mia said.