Marlon, who is 10, and Luca, 18 months his junior and almost nine years old, have a swag of medals to their credit as part of their Echuca Moama Little Athletics triumphs.
The extremely competitive pair’s mother, Mel, said there was no four-year break between the backyard Olympics, as the brothers compete with the third of her sons, six-year-old Jude, on a regular schedule.
“All three of them are either throwing a discus or shot put or practising high hump with the set their ‘Nanny’ bought them for Christmas (as you do),” Mel said.
In 2016 there were an extraordinary seven sets of siblings in the national team at the Rio Olympics and already the best known of our Olympic siblings, Cate and Bronte Campbell, have pocketed a gold medal — and world record.
Marlon set a number of records at the Echuca Moama centre last season and was also named Junior Club Champion.
At regional level he won gold in high jump, along with three sprint distances 100, 200 and 400 metres, matching the Victorian Best Performance for high jump this season with a jump of 130cm.
In February this year, at the Lakeside Stadium, he won silver in the high jump and 200 metres, along with bronze in the 100 metres. His Olympic dream is to break the high jump world record of 2.45m.
Luca has had four years with the Echuca Moama centre and has also bagged a trifecta of age championships. His first Regional Track and Field Carnival, at Shepparton, netted him gold in shot put and a bronze in discus, qualifying for state titles in both field disciplines. Then in Melbourne he won gold in the shot put, making him the state champion in that event.
Luca’s dream is to represent Australia in shot put and discus at 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Mel said the entire house was excited about the Tokyo event.
“Luca has been yelling at the TV all weekend. He is also looking forward to watching the track and field,” she said.
Tahlia Blight, 11, has set her goal to be part of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
She has been a Little Aths star since she was a five-year-old and was involved at regional and state level earlier this year.
Tahlia’s pet events are the 1500, 800 and 400 metres.
She was dominant at the regional event and qualified to compete in all three of those track events at the state championships.
Her mother, Rebecca, said Tahlia was excited about the announcement last week, but her concentration was presently on the Tokyo event.
“She loves watching swimming and running,” Rebecca said.
She has a good example of commitment, her aunty Chelsea Blight (now Stevens) having claimed the 2017 world ski racing championship.
“She understands things take time, her aunty took 16 years from her first attempt at the World Ski Racing title before she won,” Rebecca said.
Preparing for a tilt at the Brisbane Olympics, 11 years in the future, is definitely on the radar.
