In-form decathlete Christian Paynter hoping to fire at Victorian Country championships
A dominant effort to win his second Victorian title has decathlete Christian Paynter feeling good about his chances as the Geelong Guild athlete
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Dominant decathlete Christian Paynter has “a few medal chances” as he hits the Victorian Country Track and Field Championships in Geelong in perfect form.
The Geelong Guild star athlete crushed the field to claim his second consecutive state title in Bendigo earlier this month and is on the start list for seven events when the country championships his Landy Field from Thursday to Saturday.
Paynter, 25, has hopes to get on the podium in javelin, discus, high jump and 110m hurdles but he won’t be taking it easy despite the busy schedule.
“Seeing as it is straight after the decathlon, we will try and incorporate some training (into the weekend),” he said.
“I think I have one event on the Thursday and I have four or five on Friday and I will do those and then on Saturday I will do my two events and some running to make it almost like a normal training day.
“I think I have a few medal chances over the weekend.”
Unlike other athletes who train on their specific skill all the time, Paynter and his coach Zach Nelson split training days into blocks, focusing on throwing one day and jumping the next.
Paynter’s decathlon preparation wasn’t ideal, with five-month-old son Alexander teething at home as he works through strategies to get enough sleep before nationals in Brisbane in April.
“I wanted to do a little better but at the same time I do have a five-month-old kid,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting to blow anything out of the water, which I did on the first day. On the second day we had a few bumps and things that didn’t go our way.
“I’ve started to get a bit more of a routine going with the bub and hopefully getting him into some better sleeping habits.”
The country championships have drawn more than 900 athletes across 310 events to Landy Field from as far afield as the Northern Territory and West Australia.
“It is a special venue to me now,” Paynter said of Landy Field.
“It is awesome to see (a big competition) and I think I will be down there on Thursday bright and early to help set up.”
Paynter is open to sponsorship help as he eyes the nationals in April, any potential sponsors can reach him on christian.decathlete@gmail.com
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Originally published as In-form decathlete Christian Paynter hoping to fire at Victorian Country championships
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