Mitchell Watt
Encyclopedia
Mitchell Watt, (born 25 March 1988) is an Australian track & field athlete. His main event is the long jump
and holds the current Oceania record for the long jump – 8.54m. He is the youngest ever Australian track and field medalist, and he was the first ever Australian Long Jump medalist at a World Championship.
As a junior he won the All-schools nationals in 1999 (Long Jump), 2000 (Long Jump), 2001 (Long Jump [national record], Triple Jump [national record], 100m). After the 2001 All-schools nationals, he decided to take a break from the sport for over 5 years. He took an interest in Australian Football and Rugby Union. In Australian Football he won two State premierships during high-school (2004, 2005) playing as ruckman. In Rugby Union, he played in the outside backs and was vice-captain of the 1st XV. He was a reserve for The Queensland Schoolboys in 2005, a team which several current Wallabies played in.
Since 2007 he has been coached by Gary Bourne, who had previously coached Olympic silver medalist Jai Taurima
, and current Australian record holder Bronwyn Thompson
.
in Berlin where he won a bronze medal with a jump of 8.37. He backed this up with another bronze medal at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
in Doha, despite jumping with a torn adductor tendon.
He won the 2011 Australian long jump title with a personal best of 8.44 m, setting a stadium record at the Melbourne Olympic Park Stadium
with the final jump of the final competition that was held at the venue.
Mitchell won Silver at the World Championships in Daegu, with a jump of 8.33 m in an interesting competition where the winning jumps were made in the second round. The top three jumpers failed to improve on their first and second round jumps.
Diamond League
Mitchell was the 2011 Diamond League Trophy winner for the Long Jump, picking up the $40,000 bonus. He set stadium records at the competitions in Shanghai and London. He also won in Stockholm where he set the Australian record, and had already secured victory before the Final in Zurich. He is the first and only Australian to ever win a Diamond League Trophy. He also finished the 2011 season with the longest 4 out of 5 jumps in the world.
, St Lucia, where he holds a High Achievement Scholarship for his academic and sporting excellence. He also holds a scholarship at the Queensland Academy of Sport
.
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
and holds the current Oceania record for the long jump – 8.54m. He is the youngest ever Australian track and field medalist, and he was the first ever Australian Long Jump medalist at a World Championship.
Childhood
Watt started his athletics career as a juvenile and first started getting attention as a schoolboy at Brisbane Boys College. As a 13 year old he competed in the GPS 100m, 200m, 400m relay, 100m relay, long jump, high jump, triple jump, shot put and discus, winning all of his events bar and discus with a respectable 4th.As a junior he won the All-schools nationals in 1999 (Long Jump), 2000 (Long Jump), 2001 (Long Jump [national record], Triple Jump [national record], 100m). After the 2001 All-schools nationals, he decided to take a break from the sport for over 5 years. He took an interest in Australian Football and Rugby Union. In Australian Football he won two State premierships during high-school (2004, 2005) playing as ruckman. In Rugby Union, he played in the outside backs and was vice-captain of the 1st XV. He was a reserve for The Queensland Schoolboys in 2005, a team which several current Wallabies played in.
Since 2007 he has been coached by Gary Bourne, who had previously coached Olympic silver medalist Jai Taurima
Jai Taurima
Jai Taurima is a retired Australian athlete who competed in the long jump. He won a surprising silver medal at the 2000 Olympics with a personal best jump of 8.49 metres. This was the Oceanian record...
, and current Australian record holder Bronwyn Thompson
Bronwyn Thompson
Bronwyn Thompson is a long jumper from Australia. She holds the Commonwealth and Australian record for the long jump and has been ranked as high as number two in the world. Her greatest achievements include winning gold in the long jump at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and placing fourth at the 2004...
.
Career
Mitchell's first major championship was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in Berlin where he won a bronze medal with a jump of 8.37. He backed this up with another bronze medal at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
in Doha, despite jumping with a torn adductor tendon.
He won the 2011 Australian long jump title with a personal best of 8.44 m, setting a stadium record at the Melbourne Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
with the final jump of the final competition that was held at the venue.
Mitchell won Silver at the World Championships in Daegu, with a jump of 8.33 m in an interesting competition where the winning jumps were made in the second round. The top three jumpers failed to improve on their first and second round jumps.
Diamond League
Mitchell was the 2011 Diamond League Trophy winner for the Long Jump, picking up the $40,000 bonus. He set stadium records at the competitions in Shanghai and London. He also won in Stockholm where he set the Australian record, and had already secured victory before the Final in Zurich. He is the first and only Australian to ever win a Diamond League Trophy. He also finished the 2011 season with the longest 4 out of 5 jumps in the world.
Personal life
Mitchell is currently enrolled in a Law / Economics dual degree at the University of QueenslandUniversity of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
, St Lucia, where he holds a High Achievement Scholarship for his academic and sporting excellence. He also holds a scholarship at the Queensland Academy of Sport
Queensland Academy of Sport
The Queensland Academy of Sport is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland...
.