Youth athlete prepares to hurdle competition

Young hurdler enjoys the pressure of championship events

SYDNEY BOUND: Harry Coman ran a personal best time to book his place at the Australian Junior Athletic Championships. Coman, 15, will compete in the under-17 110m hurdles in Sydney this week. Picture: Sam Flanagan

ATHLETICS: The pressure-cooker environment of a national championship can break experienced of athletes.

Harry Coman might be the exception.

The 15-year-old Dalby hurdler loves pressures and relishes the opportunity to test himself on the biggest of stages.

"I love running under pressure - it pumps me up," he said.

"Competing at the big events, racing against people I don't know, I love it."

Coman travels to Sydney today to the Australian Junior Athletic Championships to compete in the under-17 110m hurdles with a simple goal.

"I'd love to run a personal best and if possible make the final," he said.

His father and part-time coach Chris Coman believes he has every chance of achieving his goal.

"Over the past 18 months or so he's shown a real natural ability to step up," Chris Coman said.

"He just seems to be able to run faster at each level whether it's local, state or at the national level. He almost always gets a PB when he steps up as well."

TOP TIME: Harry Coman recorded a 16.80 second race, a personal best, to guarantee his qualification for the championships.

Originally published as Youth athlete prepares to hurdle competition