By Mikayla van Loon
A young Yarra Ranges Athletics athlete has impressed the world in an international competition for the laser run which saw him head to Portugal to compete last month.
Mitch Pointon, the 13-year-old from Mooroolbark, was selected to represent Australia in the under 15s age group after wowing scouts at the national competition in April.
Having only taken up the sport in October last year, Mitch has quickly developed the skills needed for the laser run, which includes three 600 metre runs with a shooting element in between.
Flying to Lisbon for the World Championships, Mitch finished tenth to qualify for the final.
“It was pretty fun and I really enjoyed it. I ended up finishing 12th in the final,” he said.
Laser run is just one element of the modern pentathlon, which currently includes equestrian, fencing, swimming, running and shooting.
While Mitch has proved to be quite confident in the laser run, he is still learning the other aspects but impressed the Australian team for the laser run at the nationals after coming from behind in the swimming and fencing.
“I was like one minute 40 or something behind in the laser run because I wasn’t the most competent swimmer or fencer at the time,” Mitch said.
“So I was standing there for a minute and a half or so just watching everyone go and as soon as I was allowed I just sprinted.”
He ended up finishing fourth after starting the laser run in seventh. Then again at the winter championships in July, Mitch finished second after a one minute 54 second delay.
“Because of the time he had gained in the running and shooting element, the national selection team looked at that and said ‘we need this boy’ and drafted him into the squad for the world champs,” Mitch’s dad Jamie said.
For six months, Mitch had an intense training program, mostly focusing on running but with swimming lessons and fencing lessons interwoven.
“With the help of Jamie Strudley, [Mitch has] had a heap of shooting programs and running programs all aimed for Portugal,” Mitch’s mum Jane said.
“So it’s been quite intense and quite different for Mitch because he’s been training along with the rest of the Yarra Ranges athletes but doing a different program.”
As someone who found his running talent just four years ago, Mitch said the laser run “adds a little bit of pizzazz, it’s different and enjoyable.”
Had it not been for a Spanish laser run team visiting Victoria and the Yarra Ranges Athletics club last year, Mitch may never have been given the chance to shoot with a laser gun.
“I had friends try as well and they were shooting like five greens in 40 seconds and I just got up there and just shot five greens in 20 seconds. They were like ‘who is this kid?’,” Mitch said.
While learning the other parts of the modern pentathlon are on the radar for Mitch, with the Olympic committee considering changing the structure to discard equestrian and include an obstacle course instead, Mitch is keen to continue improving in the laser run ready to compete in the World Championships in the UK next year.
“Anytime your 13-year-old boy is in the World Championships you don’t not go,” Jamie said.
Aiming high, Mitch said the future goal is to make it to the Olympics in whichever form the committee decides to keep at the highest level.
“Hopefully, winning a medal at the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games one day or just winning a gold medal at the World Champs would be pretty cool,” he said.
