South African athlete has something to prove
Russell Tucker throwing discus.
A student from Monash South Africa (MSA) has flown all the way to the Gold Coast to represent TeamMONASH™ in the Australian University Games (AUG).
Russell Tucker, who is studying a Bachelor of Business Science (Accounting) at MSA is part of the TeamMONASH™ athletics squad, competing in throwing discus.
Russell was born in a small mining town called Barberton in Mpumalanga, South Africa, but moved to Johannesburg (JHB) when he was just a baby. He has lived in Fourways, JHB for most of his life.
He began throwing discus in school for fun. After he finished high school he decided to get into decathlon, a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events.
Unfortunately Russell sustained some injuries which prevented him from continuing with decathlon, but the injuries helped him decide to take discus further.
“My aunt used to watch me at school and she thought I had talent for decathlon as I was good at all the sports I played. She then introduced me to the world of athletics after school,” Russell said.
“From there it was my Dad who supported me to take it further. This is now my fourth year of throwing discus alone.”
For Russell, who trains for his sport by throwing three times a week (50 throws per session) and hitting the gym four times a week (for 90 minutes per session), the AUG is an opportunity to prove himself outside of his many accomplishments in Africa.
“For me, the feeling of throwing is like nothing else on earth. I don’t like to predict the future, but what I can say is I am coming to Australia with a purpose, and that purpose is to win gold,” Russell said.
For pictures of TeamMONASH™ at the AUG, visit their Facebook page.