Beaudesert athlete Tess Hannigan’s decade of dedication to training earned her podium finishes at the recent 2023 Australian Track and Field Championships.
She won gold in the Under 18 2000m Steeple Chase and bronze in the Under 18 3000m (run?) in the four-day competition at the Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre (QSAC) from 30 March to 2 April.
Tess, 16, developed her skills as part of Beaudesert and District Little Athletics from the under 6s to the under 15s and has been competitively training and competing for nearly six years.
These days, Tess trains six days a week with CMB Running Academy while travelling from Beaudesert to Trinity College Beenleigh for school and working casual shifts as a supermarket checkout operator.
Tess said it was a boost to achieve strong results at the 2023 Australian Track and Field Championships.
“It was really rewarding to finally achieve a goal that had been set a while back, and to know that all my hard work has paid off. I was able to celebrate with my biggest supporters as the championships were held in Brisbane this year,” she said.
She shared about her love of the sport, and the importance of having a strong support network.
“I love the lifelong friendships that are made and sharing the up and downs with like-minded people. I enjoy the excitement of competing and the challenges along the way,” she said.
“When feeling unmotivated I remind myself of the goal I am working towards and the reason why I started in the first place. Which is simply because I love running. I feel grateful for the experiences that I have had and the people that I have met along the way.
“My biggest supporters are my coach, Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell, my family and friends and my squad at CMB.”
Tess now has her sights set on nationals.
“Cross country season has already started! I will start to prepare for upcoming races, hopefully leading to nationals in August.”
