MELANIE WHELAN: What world athletics championships can tell Ballarat

World championship athletics will bring the best of the best to arguably the world's best track and field stadium, billed as a purpose-built "theatre" for the event in the United States.

Deep in the action in Ballarat's Greg Harris, but you probably would not even know it.

The sport and exercise medicine physician is working in a team to ensure Australia's top athletes can be in a condition to perform at their best not just in Eugene, Oregon, but for those who also have the Birmingham Commonwealth Games on their schedules.

Ballarat has a wealth of sports medicine experience in its allied health ranks, including renowned hip injury expert and physiotherapist Joanne Kemp who remains treating in Ballarat while part of leading research.

Not to mention all those who are involved in elite sporting programs such as Greater Western Victoria Rebels football and Ballarat Miners basketball and those who travel, like Dr Harris, to build experience.

We talk a lot about sporting pathways in Ballarat - just look at our homegrown Team Ballarat at the world championships.

Yual Reath is a 22-year-old landscaper who was jumping for fun with mates when his efforts at Llanberris started to get real.

Veteran Kathryn Mitchell, age 40, is the reigning Commonwealth javelin champion moved from Casterton to Ballarat High School to launch her athletics career.

Persistent race walker Kelly Ruddick is set to contest her first world championships aged 49.

They live here, they train here and they are set to take their games to an impressive world stage.

Equally, the experience our sports health and injury experts like Dr Harris are earning is invaluable. They too will bring this experience and learning from working alongside the world's best athletes and sports medicos back to grassroots Ballarat sports.

We need to pay attention. These are the extra opportunities we need to consider that could offer lasting, positive impacts for Ballarat in a key hosting role for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Our strong sporting reputation as a city is based on ore than our athletes alone. We have great experts here in training and preparing them and sports medicine in our city is a key part.

Olympic marathon runner Steve Moneghetti was a revolutionary in his sport at the peak of his career because the first person he would always take to an event was his physiotherapist Pete Howley.

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Hosting the Commonwealth Games is a massive step in elevating Ballarat's international sporting profile.

We need to celebrate all the people in our sporting circles because these often unheralded experiences have helped Ballarat and all our athletes continue to strive for the highest sporting levels we can.

And take a look at the Ducks' stadium in world championship action this week. Mars Stadium might be rolling out a temporary world-class track on our best football field, but the theatre inside can inspire far more for our city.

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