ALL-ROUND athlete Tianah List will represent Australia for the first time next month after being selected to compete in javelin at the Oceania Championships.
The 16-year-old will be up against athletes from New Zealand and the pacific nations, including Samoa, Fiji and the Cook Islands, at the competition in Cairns from May 8 to 10.
Tianah said she was excited to be representing her country in a sport she loved.
She recently won the under 18s age group at the national athletics championships with a throw of 47 metres and hopes to improve on that at Oceania.
"To have my first international competition under my belt for the future will be a confidence booster," Tianah said.
"My personal best throw is 49 metres and so to crack 50 metres at the competition would be great.
"I have been working hard with my personal trainer Haaije Pijl on strength and core work and it's helped me improve a lot."
Along with representing Australia in javelin, Tianah has also been selected to represent Queensland in the 19 years and under state schools softball team at the Pacific School Games in Adelaide in November.
Softball is just as much a passion for her as javelin, and one she has been playing since she was five.
Tianah said playing catcher and in the outfield in softball, much of the skills she uses in javelin, such as speed of running and quick throwing, complements her game.
"It's great to be able to represent Queensland and it will the second time this year, after I competed in the under 17s softball club championships in January," she said.
"As a softballer I have to be fast so javelin helps with that and my throwing from softball certainly benefits my javelin.
"I couldn't imagine my life without one of them. It would be a bit boring."
