Paige Hooper Selected In Australian Team
Following a brilliant season which Paige better the qualifying standard on a number of occasions, (as well as breaking the Under 16 State record,) it was announced late in March, that Enfield Harriers' Paige Hooper had been selected in the team to represent
Apart from being a very talented walker, Paige is also a state representative for basketball and is very accomplished at karate. She balances a very tight schedule of training for all her sports as well as her school commitments.
We caught up with Paige at the recent Enfield Harriers Presentation night and she was excited to talk you her about her selection. At that time Paige was unsure as to whether she would accept her selection as the dates for the trip clashed with those of a state basketball competition. However, recently Paige has decided to accept her selection and she is eagerly looking forward to the trip. For final selection, Paige must meet the pre-departure standard at a camp to be held on the Gold Coast just prior to the departure of the team (all selected athletes need to meet the pre-departure standard in order to prove their fitness). Normally this wouldn’t be of a concern to Paige, but she recently injured her ankle at basketball and is receiving regular physio in an attempt to be injury free by July.
Interestingly, the team is dominated by girls: with 21 girls selected as opposed to 12 boys. Only one other SA athlete has been selected – Richard Everest for the 2km Steeplechase.
When Paige was asked what aspect of the trip she was most looking forward to, she replied that it was really the whole experience of travelling, meeting new people/team mates and experiencing a new culture. The team managers have advised that the
Whilst she doesn’t have any preconceived goals about the competition, she is very excited about competing on an international stage for the first time. Paige is aware that some of her Chinese competitors are extremely fast but is hoping to learn a lot from competing at the top level.
We wish her all the best for the competition and hope that she enjoys every aspect of this fantastic opportunity.