At the 2018 ANQ Championships Montanna Mcavoy took home the Charlie Doyle Memorial Middle Distance Female Trophy after winning the QLD 1 Mile Championship and Open Women 1500m.
This capped an outstanding year for Montanna who represented Australia at the U20 World Championships in Finland, and finished in the final with a PB.
Montanna has won national titles at four different distances – 3000m, 5000m and the 2000m & 3000m steeplechase. In the 2017/18 season she began racing in the 3000m steeplechase and in late 2017 ran an impressive 10:20 debut, ten seconds under the standard for the World U20 Championships!
What is your favourite memory of competing at the ANQ Championships?
I have competed at this event for a very long time, since I was about 10 years old and I love it every year. Each year brings great memories.
Highlight of the 2018 season thus far?
The highlight of my season thus far would be competing in the World U20 Championships in Finland in July. This competition was such a great experience and I learnt a lot as an athlete and a person. I managed to make the final and run a PB which was my goal for the competition so overall it was an awesome trip.
Obviously, when you perform well people start to say Olympics, World Championship especially given such success in juniors. Do you feel any increased pressure to perform? And if so, how do manage the pressure?
At certain times I do feel pressure or expectation to perform. I manage this by reminding myself of my bigger goals and competitions that I want to or need to do well in. It is very difficult to perform at your best for the whole year and therefore there will always be races and competitions where you do not perform to the best of your ability or that may leave you a little disappointed or unsatisfied. This however, is just part of the process of being an athlete and understanding you will have times where you peak and others where you don’t is important. The focus remains on performing well at those races that count and sometimes this may not happen as well which is completely normal. Often Olympics and other senior teams are mentioned however I know that being 18 and in distance running it could potentially be quite some time before I break into the senior ranks.
Were you born and raised in North Queensland?
I was born in Cairns and was raised in Innisfail on a Cane and Banana farm. At 15 years of age I went to boarding school for my senior years in Brisbane and currently reside in Brisbane but I always try and go home during holidays.
What are your goals for 2018/19 Season?
The new season looks a little different for me as I am going to attend college in America where I hope to study business and compete over there. This is something that I am excited about and I think there will be a lot to take away from an experience of this sort.
Who is your sporting hero or role model?
I would have to say Genevieve Lacaze or Emma Coburn. They are great athletes and people that have achieved so much in their careers.
Talk through what a typical warmup and performance is like? What sort of things do you think about? Any little rituals?
My typical warm up usually starts with a 10-minute jog. I then go into my drills before I do 3 to 4 run throughs at race pace. It is quite a simple but effective warm up. I try not to think about too much but often I think about the race I am about to run. I don’t have any rituals I usually just like to stick to the same approach for each race.
How important has the team of people been around you in your success?
The team of people around me has played a big part in my success. My family have supported me with everything especially my parents. From driving me to trainings, supporting me across the country in my races to giving me so many opportunities to pursue what I love I am very grateful and lucky to have their support. Also, my coachJayden Russ has played a part and has guided me and helped me believe in myself. He has supported me in what I do helping me achieve many things.
What other things do you do outside of athletics (work / study / hobbies)?
Outside of athletics I study at university full time. I am studying a double degree in Business and Media and Communications majoring in Management. I also did some Touch Football coaching earlier this year at my old school which I really enjoyed.
Montanna’s ANQ Championships Results:
U20 1500m – 4:41.13 (1st)
U20 3000m – 10:10.59 (1st)
Open 1 Mile – 4:59.25 (1st)
