The fleet footed story of T20 Athlete, Telaya Blacksmith, is only just beginning after her stellar performances last week, cementing her name in the Oceania record books.
Still buzzing from the week before, Walpiri woman Telaya Blacksmith gave an exclusive interview to the National Indigenous Times about her recent performance in the 2023 Open & U23 Championships and what her future holds.
Racing against the formidable previous 400m record holder, Stephanie Schweitzer (T2), Ms Blacksmith kept her cool during a strong start and crossed the line in 1:02:13 - not only beating out Schweitzer, but also breaking Schweitzer's record of 1:02:37 which stood for 11+ years.
"It (400m race) was quite hard but fun and I had to work my way through to get in front and get that good time," Ms Blacksmith said.
Watch Telaya's incredible performance below.
Telaya notes that despite her talent for the 400m, her favourite events are the 100m and Long Jump.
However, T20 athletes are not offered the 100m on an international stage (Paralympic Games) hence why Telaya began training the 400m, a wise decision.
Telaya's mother, Bec noted: "Unfortunately her favourite event, which is the 100, isn't offered at a high level, which is why we decided to start the 400m."
"When we found out Telaya was racing her (Stephanie Scweitzer) we were excited because Telaya finally had some competition.
"She ended up out the front on her own anyway so we thought it would be a good push for her. We don't even really know how fast she can go because she's had no one to chase."
In the past fortnight, Ms Blacksmith has clocked all of the records in the U20's category that she actively participates in resulting in 4 golds in NSW.
Her current personal bests are:
100m - 12:83 (+0.8)
200m - 26:54 (+0.8)
400m 1:02:37 (-0.9)
Long Jump - 5:29m (Tied Record)
All of which have qualified her for the upcoming Virtus Global Games in France this June.
Committed to her craft, Ms Blacksmith has reached out to legend Cathy Freeman for advice as she takes the next steps on her journey.
Despite the comparisons to Cathy Freeman, Ms Blacksmith is focused on creating her own lane in Australian athletics to give more access to para and non para-athletes.
"It sucks that she gets compared to Cathy because there should be so many more Indigneous people in athletics," Bec said.
She plans to take her career as far as she can but also begin athletics coaching and giving back to her communities.
"When I finish my athletics I am hoping to go to the NT schools and start coaching, how to be stronger and their health," Telaya said.
Later this year, the Warlpiri track star will compete in the 100m, 200m, 400m and Long Jump representing Australia at the 2023 Virtus Global Games.
She is currently the world number one U18 T20 female athlete but needs community support to help get her over to France.
Her supporters have a target of $25,000 and have currently raised just over $15,000.
Donations can be given at the Australian Sports Foundation page.
