EMERGING international race walker Alanna Peart's juggle to train and year 12 studies was far from how she had imagined.
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Athletics, like school, was about adapting to a string of cancellations both in major events and training camps. The advice of her Olympic race walking cousins Rachel and Jared Tallent, the 2012 men's 50-kilometre gold medallist, kept Peart in good stead to do the best she could and to enjoy and make the most of every moment in school and in athletics.
And to stay organised.
Peart said it was "honestly a relief" to finally receive her Academic Tertiary Admission Rank and final study scores on Thursday after what had been a "terrible" two final years for year 12s across the state.
"[Rachel and Jared} said don't worry too much about school, to enjoy what I was doing and get the best results I could," Peart said. "If you don't get the desired ATAR they said you can work around it later and find other pathways to what you want to study.
"And they said not to put pressure on training.
"It was really helpful they had been through this and still managed year 12."
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She made the team to compete in the World Junior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya this year but the Australian team was pulled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and general safety concerns.
Jared Tallent also made the World Junior Championships team in year 12, competing in Kingston, Jamaica.
There was an Australian camp on the Gold Coast that Peart was also forced to miss when Ballarat went into lockdown.
But this only makes Peart hungry to make the most of what will be her final year in junior athletics, including a chance to qualify for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Cali, Columbia next year.
While competition and training was disrupted this year, Peart has remained focused.
I had to be very organised to manage my studies and in my spare time keep training but this was a bit of a break to enjoy myself.
- Alanna Peart, Ballarat High School class of 2021
"Studying and training was a bit of a challenge this year. I had to be very organised to manage my studies and in my spare time keep training but this was a bit of a break to enjoy myself," Peart said.
Peart studied further mathematics, mathematical methods, business studies, English, psychology and food technology for her year 12. She earned a study score of 43 in food technology, earning High's food technology top student award.
Unsure what career path she might want to take, Peart was keen to undertake a commerce degree part-time at Deakin and hoped to join the university's elite athlete program.
Peart said High's supportive teachers helped her realise it was possible to pursue multiple big goals.
ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS ON PEART'S PATH TO YEAR 12 SUCCESS
- Made state school athletics championships in race waling, years seven to 12. Record holder for under-15 and open walk.
- School cross country running, year 7 to 12, qualified for state championships.
- Hockey: Ballarat Asssociated Schools competition;regional and states championships.
- World ranking sixth in under-20 five-kilometre road walking (22 minutes, 35 seconds)
- World ranking seventh in under-20 five-kilometre track race walking (22:45)
- World Athletic Race walking Team Championships in Minks, Belarus was cancelled. Peart had three Australian qualifying times.
- Won Oceania Championships under-20 10km race walk (48:04) in Melbourne; time qualifies for World Junior Championships in Kenya.
- Second, under-20 Oceania Invitational 10,000 metres track walk at Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
- Clocked three under-20 10km road walking team qualifying times: sub-50 minutes for World Racewalking Team U20 Championships in March 2022 in Muscat, Oman.
- Selected for three national elite race walking training camps with Australian senior and under-20 race walkers: Thredbo (Dec 2020), Melbourne (Jan 2021) and Cairns (Apr 2021).
- Won national road walking championships, Stromlo Carnival Open five-kiloemtre road walk (22:35), Canberra
- Second, Australian track and field championships in under-20 10,000 metres race walk (49:47), Sydney
- Fourth, Athletics Australian elite open 10,000 metres track walk (48:36), Melbourne
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