World U20 Champs: Help Archie represent Australia

Hi. I'm Archie, a 17-year-old high school student from Brunswick in Melbourne. I'm delighted and honoured to have been selected to represent Australia at the U20 World Athletics Championships in Colombia in August this year. My selection to the team results from years of hard work and commitment. I run approximately 100km per week and I am fully dedicated to my goal of becoming an elite middle-distance runner.

This year is the first of two years that I will compete in the U20 age group in athletics, and as such, I was not expecting to achieve the results that I did this season. But I achieved world junior qualifying times in three events (the 3000m Steeplechase, the 3000m and the 5000m) and won Gold in two of these events at the Australian National Championships in March. This gave me automatic selection to the Australian team and I will represent Australia in the 3000m Steeplechase and the 5000m in Colombia. This will be a heavy load but I am preparing as best I can!

Team members have to fund the trip themselves and this will cost $6000 (this covers flights, accommodation, food, training camps, vaccinations and visas). I am trying to raise half this amount to lessen the burden on my parents. Running for my country is such an honour - if you are able to support me in any way I would be extremely grateful.