Money or the starter’s gun? AFL and NRL riches remain a lure for Olympic hopefuls | Nicole Jeffery
Athletics Australia has lost more talent tug-of-love cases than it has won – but Brisbane 2032 can be a new temptation for the next generation
The teenage sprint prodigy Gout Gout has taken the headlines but Australia had an equally promising and even younger prospect at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima last year. A Sydney schoolboy was the youngest medallist at the event, just 15 when he leaped a personal best of 7.80m to win the bronze medal in the long jump, beating boys up to three years older than him.
But there is no guarantee Mason McGroder will still be competing in athletics when Brisbane 2032 rolls around. The talented youngster is also in the Sydney Swans Academy and could pursue a career in the AFL.