By Corey Everitt
Joseph Nelson is a local star athlete for Officer after participating in the national championships for cross-country running.
The student from Officer Specialist School was in Canberra on 26 August competing in the 2023 Australia Cross Country Championships.
He competed in the Under 20 Para Mens Championship race representing the state of Victoria.
Joseph braved the gruelling 3-kilometre endurance run through the terrain of Stromlo Forest Park.
He was given extra motivation from his Dad and his PE coach from Officer Specialist School, Belynda Drew.
After the first lap, Belinda yelled out, “pick up the pace!”
Joseph gave a thumbs up, a smile and sprinted the last two kilometre.
With such a performance, Joseph came sixth with a time of 11 minutes and 13 seconds, smashing his previous personal best by 11 seconds.
In the overall team scoring, Joseph and the Victoria team’s efforts would give the team third, taking home a bronze medal.
It was a long journey to get to the nationals, starting two years ago when his father got him into running.
Already an active boy, Joseph took up running with glee.
“I like running because I do athletics, I’m relaxed when I run, it helps you go faster,” Joseph explained.
While he would run with Dad at home, he would be just as active in PE class with teacher Belynda.
His training would take him to compete in district championships and state championships, putting up great times and having fun along the way.
His training continued, regularly running at the school oval, building up his laps.
“Casual 11 laps,” Belynda explained cheekily of Joseph’s running habits at the school.
Joseph corrected: “I did about 16, trying to get up to 20 laps.”
This year, he came fifth in the state championships held in Yarra Glen – his best performance yet.
A famous race for Joseph as he did the race without shoes on, quickly losing them in the mud early on, his white socks were black by the time he crossed the finish line.
However, Joseph’s eyes were set on the nationals.
It was only shortly after the state championships that Joseph would be in Bundoora to qualify for nationals.
“I train really hard, really strong,” he said.
“I got exhausted in Bundoora because I gave all I got.”
Joseph would find out that he was going to Canberra after two years of dedication.
“I just can’t believe it.
“Working hard in two years, working hard to get to nationals.”
Despite the pressure of the biggest cross-country competition in the country, Joseph was still jolly, seeing it as another adventure with his family and PE teacher who he and many others at the school call ‘Bel’.
“She always hangs with me a lot, she always hangs with me when I go to the championship, right Bel?” Joseph asked Belinda, who agreed.
“Hanging out, going on an adventure with me and Bel.”
The day after the national championships, Belynda, a runner herself, would be back in Melbourne running a half-marathon herself.
“Were you exhausted?”, Joseph asks his teacher.
Belynda responded: “Oh, I was exhausted, but I just thought of you and you spurred me on.”
Coming back with more confidence, he is even more hungry for running.
“I’ll be smashing it in districts easily,” Joseph said.
“I always get to district, go to the next level every time.”
Next up is the year’s athletics competition for School Sport Victoria, where Joseph will be competing in the 800m run.
With his last year of school next year, Joseph aims to make it to nationals again for his final year.
In the meantime you can catch Joseph chatting away around school or doing laps around the oval.
