Discus thrower Mitchell Cooper is ‘fixated’ on qualifying for the 2020 Olympics

After two successive gold medal finishes at recent competitions Australian discus thrower Mitchell Cooper is ‘fixated’ on qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team.

Mitchell Cooper in action at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Townsville. Photo: Casey Sims

Mitchell Cooper has another gold medal to add to his trophy cabinet after a win at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Townsville last week.

The former Deception Bay Little Athlete took out first place in the men’s discus competition with a throw of 60.25m on Saturday.

SUBSCRIPTION DEAL: $1 A WEEK FOR THE FIRST 12 WEEKS

It followed winning the Oceania Invitational a few days earlier with a throw of 60.87m.

Cooper, who lives at Burpengary, said while pleased with the win, he had hoped to add a bit more distance to his throw.

“I was really pushing for a 64m plus, I was really going for it,” he said.

“My domestic season this year was a bit down but I’m starting to hit my stride,” he said.

“This season was about cementing by base for a big push next year.”

His personal best distance is 63.98m.

Discus thrower Mitchell Cooper hopes to represent Australia at the next Olympics. Photo: AAP /Richard Walker

The 24-year-old said he was still hopeful of qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in October this year.

To qualify he would need to throw 65m or meet the needs of the ranking system.

“Making Worlds would be nice but I also don't want to over-exert myself and put making the Olympics team in doubt,” Cooper said.

“The (2020) Olympics is the main goal for sure. That is what I’m fixated on.”

Cooper threw his first discus at the age of 10, at a school athletics carnival. Three months later he had won his first national title.

The Grace Lutheran College Rothwell graduate competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and finished fifth, after throwing 60.40m.

Fellow former Deception Bay Little Athlete Elly Buckholz also competed at the Oceania Championships.

Sprinter Elly Buckholz of Mayne Harriers.

The Caboolture based sprinter finished third in the under-20 200m sprint and fourth in the under-20 100m sprint.

Former Redcliffe Little Athlete Fletcher Day was meant to compete in the under-18 400m hurdles but had to pull out after breaking both her arms in a training session two weeks ago. She still travelled to support the other athletes.