Lima to Brisbane | McGroder Locked in for All Schools Championships

Draped in an Australian flag and a smile after winning World Under 20 bronze at the age of 15, Mason McGroder’s time flying under the radar was over. The six-foot-three long jumper who has the eight-metre marker in his sights is bound for Brisbane’s 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.

Australia’s youngest member on the team of 67 for the World Athletics Under 20 Championships in Lima this August, age proved no barrier for McGroder as he leapt to 7.80m to claim bronze in the Men’s Long Jump – securing one of the nation’s record-breaking 14 medals.

Admittedly still coming to terms with his athletics success, the Trinity Grammar School product was quickly grounded by his textbooks upon his return from Peru:

“No one was putting me up there for medal contention or talking about it, but in my mind I obviously wanted it. Winning would have been cool, but I was never going to jump 8.20m,” McGroder said.

“When I got back, I had so many assessments that I had to do! That sucked but it’s alright now.”

The layers to McGroder’s performance only add to his heroics. Thriving with a personal best despite challenging conditions and his lack of experience, the laid-back teenager fell just 10cm shy of the longest jump by a 15-year-old in history – which stands at 7.90m.

Less than two months earlier he was serving up eye-catching highlights at the AFL Under 16 National Championships as part of the Sydney Swans Academy, but the summer belongs to athletics as he builds towards new goals on the track.

His first stop will be the Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane from December 6-8: 

“I have run PB’s in the 100m. I have dropped like 0.3-seconds since last season already. I’m definitely getting quicker which was what I was missing in my jumps, so eight-metres would be cool to hit,” McGroder said.

“It’s pretty cool to come back and be against the competition you are used to and with your mates. Obviously there might be a bit of pressure or extra eyes on me, but that doesn’t really change how I go about things.”

As for his coaching setup, McGroder is building a star-studded corner. With Matt Wade at the helm through his role at Trinity Grammar School, McGroder’s selection for the World Under 20 Championships called for expansion with Olympic and World Championships credentials.

“Leading up to World Juniors, Matt almost like recruited coaches for me. Connor Murphy was always involved through school, but he also got Liam Adcock who has been a great mentor because he is a similar build to me and all that,” McGroder said.

“When those two went overseas, I had Emmanuel Fakiye who was basically just my hype man. He was telling me all the things that could happen depending on what I did and gave me that incentive to work harder until we flew out.”

The final piece of the puzzle came in Lima from Australian team coach and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Alwyn Jones:

“Alwyn was trying to make me believe that I'm an animal.”

With personal bests of 7.80m for the long jump and 49.22-seconds over 400m, the 16-year-old McGroder has stamped his presence of one of the nation’s most exciting young prospects.

Tickets to see McGroder compete at the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane from December 6-8 can be purchased HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 12/11/2024