NSW All Schools: Ashlyn Blackstock hoping to emulate Dani Stevens at Commonwealth Games, Olympics

Ashlyn Blackstock would normally never miss an athletics meet but there’s a very good reason she will be absent from one of her pet events at the NSW All Schools championships.

Thrower Ashlyn Blackstock is hoping to emulate her idol Dani Stevens and represent Australia at world championships and Olympic Games in the future. Pic: Supplied.

Belmont North teenager Ashlyn Blackstock says there’s nothing quite the feeling she gets when she releases the shot put or discus and knows immediately it will be a good throw.

It’s why she never worries about getting up early to train, spending her spare time getting fitter and stronger so she can throw further and one day achieve her goal of making Commonwealth Games and Olympic teams.

But for once, Newcastle’s Blackstock is going to step away from the field briefly for something else important in her life.

Thrower Ashlyn Blackstock is hoping to emulate her idol Dani Stevens and represent Australia at world championships and Olympic Games in the future. Pic: Supplied.

“I’ve got my graduation ceremony. It was moved because of Covid and it’s now on the same day as the All Schools discus,” she said.

“I’ll still go to All Schools for shot put but not discus now.“

This means the 17-year-old from the East Lakes club won’t be defending her NSW All Schools crown in the discus but still has aspirations of achieving this feat in the shot put.

“I throw because I love it but at this point I am aiming for a PB,” she said.

“I had a rough season last year, I’ll give most of that to Covid, it just threw everything out of whack.”

The teenager, who cites recently retired world champion Dani Stevens as her inspiration, has a PB for the discus of 50.13m and a PB in the shot put of 15.29m.

Australia's Dani Stevens at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games earlier this year.

She believes the tough qualifying distances for next years Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will rule her out of this competition but still has a dream of competing at a Games in the future along with an Olympics.

“Maybe I’ll surprise myself, I always wanted to go to Paris, that’s the one I want to go for,” she said. “I’ll be 20 in 2024 which is a pretty good age.

“If I really push myself my big goal is to win at an Olympics. To be realistic I won’t be able to achieve that in out that until at least LA or 2032 in Brisbane.”

Blackstock has met and been inspired throughout her career by Stevens who competed at multiple Olympic Games and won her world discus crown back in 2009.

“I competed a couple of times with her and had the pleasure of talking to her. She is amazing and very inspiring,’’ Blackstock said.

Other major events on the agenda over summer for Blackstock include all comers meets, junior state and open championships in the country championships in January.

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