WARRNAMBOOL athlete Nathan Krepp has made a promising start to what he hopes will be a memorable year.
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Krepp, 18, claimed four gold medals at the Victorian Country Athletics Championships in Geelong at the weekend, producing three personal bests.
The Chilwell Athletics Club member was a clear winner in all four of his events — open discus and shot put and under 20 discus and shot put.
Krepp threw 47.77 metres in the open discus, leaving silver medallist Hamish Nelson (35.11m) a distant second.
His gold medal shot put throw of 14.40 metres edged out David Kinnersley (12.25m).
In the under 20 section, Krepp threw 55.67m in the discus.
Silver medallist Alex Takle threw 31.85m. Krepp’s under 20 shot put effort was 16.09m, with Takle (10.71m) again second.
The teenager said he threw a Geelong regional under 19 and under 20 record in the discus.
His throw of 55.67 metres was a personal best.
“I was really happy about the discus,” Krepp said. “It should rank me on the top of the list in Australia because it is January and it’s the start of the rankings.
“There are a couple of good throwers in Australia at the moment so I am lucky to be competing against good competition.”
Krepp said he had qualified for the Australian championships in Sydney in April and his under 20 55-metre-plus throw was a world junior qualifier time.
“But they are only every second year and unfortunately they don’t have one this year,” he said.
“I was only 25 or 35 centimetres off going to Barcelona last year.”
Krepp is in an Australian under 19 talent squad and has trained with the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne.
“I was fortunate enough to have a coach who won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Scott Martin,” he said. “He just competed at the London Olympics. When I am in Melbourne I have sessions with him.”
Krepp said his long-term goal was to represent Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
Other south-west athletes to perform well at the Victorian Country Championships were Cobden’s Ashley Ovens, Mortlake’s Zoe Tarbolton and Warrnambool’s John Reynolds.
Ovens won gold in under 20 triple jump, long jump and relay and silver in javelin. Tarbolton claimed silver in the under 18 girls’ discus and over 60s competitor Reynolds earned gold in hammer throw and two silver medals in shot put and discus.
justine.mc@fairfaxmedia.com.au