Pocket Rocket Philp set for Takeoff in Brisbane

Meet Thewbelle Philp, the 16-year-old pocket rocket with Indigenous and Filipino heritage. With a World Under 20 Championships under her belt and personal bests of 11.51 and 23.21 to her name, the energetic sprinter is smiling her way through a breakthrough year.

If Philp’s year ended today, it would be considered a raging success. The Queensland teenager has travelled to Peru and New Zealand to compete in her favourite sport, torched her previous personal bests and completed her Year 11 studies.

Luckily for athletics fans, the sprinter whose name is pronounced “chew-bell” or “chewy” for short is locked in for the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane, where she will contest the 100m and 200m events in the Under 17 ranks.

“My mix of heritage is what accounts for my height and speed! My background is mum being Filipino and dad being Aboriginal,” Philp said.

“I try to keep my personal identity as close as possible to my identity on the track, which means taking things like my faith, personality and mindset to the starting blocks with me.

“Competing outside of Australia this year is where the spark started that I could travel by doing the sport I love. Going to Lima was a massive eye-opener on a whole new level that this is just the start of something amazing.”

The Minjungbal girl of the Bunjalung Nation is one of many athletes contributing to the rise of Australian sprinting spearheaded by the likes of Torrie Lewis and Gout Gout,  with Philp’s performance and experience well ahead of her years – tasked with leading off Australia’s 4x100m women in Lima with a rapid start.

“I learned so much from the World Under 20’s trip that you can’t learn anywhere else except in those moments. It was incredible stepping out onto the world stage representing my country,” Philp said.

Trying athletics for the first time at five-years-old in Carins, Philp was not a fan, but a return at the age of 10 inspired by the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast saw her make the Queensland State Championships – beginning training under coach Leanne Hines-Smith.

“My coach Leanne is definitely the main stem of what I put my progress down to. She understands and knows me a lot better than most people do. There is a whole team supporting me, empowering and encouraging me to be better, and to learn and enjoy it all,” Philp said.

“My squad is a big part of the joy I get from athletics; without them the hard sessions and mental blocks would feel so much more difficult.”

A member of Athletics Australia’s Pathway Transition Program, the 16-year-old has capitalised on resources available to her including biomechanics, sports psychology, dietician and physio – all feulling her dream to one day become an Olympic athlete.

“I dedicate all my effort to the task at hand, so when I have my mind focused on something I will do it to the best of my ability. That goes with things like school work and training, and even rearranging my room,” Philp said.

“I can set my sights on stepping out as an Olympian at Brisbane 2032. In the lead up to that pinnacle, I know I can plan and work towards another World Under 20 team in 2026, more Oceania competitions and it would be amazing to represent Australia at a World Relay Championships or World Championships.”

Philp will contest the Under 17 100m and 200m events at the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships, with more information available HERE.

Tickets can be purchased HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 26/11/2024