JUMPING her way to athletic excellence is spring-heeled Medowie schoolgirl Dixie Conlon.

The boom sixteen-year-old will take a huge leap towards international glory when she represents Australia at the upcoming Oceania Athletics Championships in Fiji.

All eyes will be on the Catherine McAuley Catholic College student when she dons the green and gold for the first time in the Under 18s triple jump event in Suva next month.

Debutant Dixie told News Of The Area that she was “shocked and privileged” to earn a spot in the 80-strong Australian Under 18s representative team.

“I am very excited to be part of our national youth squad but as one of the youngest competitors never seriously contemplated selection with so much talent around,” Dixie reflected.

“It is a huge honour and an opportunity that I want to grasp with both hands,” quipped the promising Conlon, who is the current NSW Under 17s triple jump and long jump champion.

Dixie is a product of the Raymond Terrace Athletics Club and has carved out an impressive list of achievements since taking up track and field as a six-year-old.

Under the expert guidance of her mentors Glenn Carroll, sprint coach Ramona Casey and hurdles coach Katie Turrell, the gifted Conlon has developed into one of the country’s leading athletes in her age group.

Competing against older opponents at the recent Australian Track and Field Championships in Adelaide, a determined Dixie underlined her potential with top ten placings in her three pet events – the 100m hurdles, long jump and triple jump disciplines – in the Under 18s division.

Conlon finished fourth in the hurdles, seventh in long jump and fifth in triple jump to come under the scrutiny of national selectors.

It capped a stellar meet for the Medowie youngster who will now take part at the Oceania titles to be staged in Fiji from June 1-9.

A highlight of the trip for Conlon is that she’ll spend the week as a team with Australia’s top senior athletes.

Dixie will rub shoulders with members of the Australian open squad as they travel to Suva in their quest to build points and qualify for the Paris Olympics.

The boom athlete has qualified for six national championship campaigns since competing at the School Sports Australia Primary Schools Athletics Championships back in 2019 while a student at the Hunter School of Performing Arts.

She won a silver medal as a fourteen-year-old in triple jump at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Adelaide and backed it up with a solid performance at the 2023 titles last year in Perth.

The experienced Carroll has proved a major influence as her jumps coach and tips a bright future for the young starlet.

A dedicated Dixie dreams of representing Australia at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and is keen to obtain an athletics scholarship to a United States college in 2026.

To boost her chances, she is contemplating an invite to participate at the international Coast to Coast meet on the Gold Coast in July featuring American track and field athletes plus a series of indoor meets like the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Invitational in Albuquerque and New Mexico Team Open or others in Arizona and Boston next January.

By Chris KARAS