Hurdles Aussie teen stars from the bush face to chase their dreams
Following in the footsteps of greats like Cathy Freeman and Cadel Evans, two teen sports stars from the bush are proving country roots can still produce world-class talent – how did they do it?
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Some of Australia’s greatest athletes have come from the regions: sprinter and Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman, cycling great Cadel Evans and international golfing star Greg Norman.
And there’s an eager breed following in their footsteps, with young regional athletes smashing national records just like the legends who came before them.
Sprinter Xanthee Watts from Toowoomba, Queensland, and swimmer Andre Labara, from Wagga Wagga, NSW, have already taken their ambitions to the world stage – and this week they’ve shared their stories at Wednesday’s Kids in the Bush lunch, part of the 2026 Bush Summit program.
Wagga Wagga local, 15-year-old Andre recently returned from Canada, where he swam with the Junior Dolphins in a record-breaking performance in the 400m individual medley*.
Andre, whose father is his coach, said the swimming club in the southern NSW town now had more than 120 swimmers and great facilities to support his budding career.
“We’ll start training at about roughly 5:45am every morning with my squad and swim ‘til about 7:30am,” he said.
For rising athletics star Xanthee, who hails from Toowoomba, her father is also her coach.
The young athlete won silver in the 400m relay in the World Athletics U20 championships and said her progress had not been hampered* by growing up in a regional community.
“I train with just my dad. It’s one-on-one, which is really good because we can go any time,” she said.
“It would be easier if things were closer; we received an email saying we need to get medical screenings as part of my next step in my athletics program but the closest place is in Brisbane, which is two hours away (from Toowoomba), and they want us to do three different screenings. So that’s three different car trips.”
Hancock Agriculture* owner Gina Rinehart is a major sporting donor and the company’s chief executive Adam Giles told the Kids in the Bush attendees that sports funding in the regions was crucial for remote communities.
“Sport in regional Australia is far more than physical recreation; it is the social fabric that unites our towns through droughts, floods and through tough seasons,” Mr Giles said. “It teaches our young people discipline. It teaches them pride, and it teaches them mateship.”
In the lead up to the lunch, Xanthee had said that being a sporting talent was “very special” in the regions.
“In these communities, there’s not many big stars out there and now I’m the pride of my school,” she said. “To be the one that has the chance to fulfil our region’s hopes and dreams is a pretty big thing.”
The 17-year-old has already represented Australia, but her journey began more than a decade ago at Little Athletics, as a four-year-old.
And her recent World Athletics U20 silver wasn’t the only medal of those championships — she also brought home a bronze in the mixed 4 x 400m relay.
As for Andre, fresh from the Australian junior team’s success in Canada, the multiple age-group champion has also been named in Swimming Australia’s 2026–27 National Flippers Squad, a high-performance development program.
The young panellists discussed some of the real challenges facing regional and remote junior athletes throughout the lunch – but it was clear that Australia’s talent pool in the bush was in no danger of suffering a sudden drought.
The original article is part of the Bush Summit series supported by Hancock Prospecting, Woolworths, Ampol, AAMI, Toyota, Powerhouse Museum, Clubs NSW, Qantas, The South Australian Government, Northern Territory Government, Invasive Species Council, Cruise Lines International Association, Greyhounds NSW, Charles Sturt University and Dubbo Regional Council.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- medley: a swimming race in which the four main strokes are used one after the other
- hampered: to prevent someone doing something easily, to restrict their progress or slow them down
- agriculture: farming and the methods that are used to raise and look after crops and animal
- drought: a long period when there is little or no rain
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QUICK QUIZ
- Which regional town is Andre from and what is his chosen sport?
- Andre swam with the Junior Dolphins in which record-breaking performance in Canada?
- Where did Xanthee Watts’ sporting journey begin and at what age?
- Who are some of Australia’s sporting legends who originally hailed from the regions?
- What medals and in which events did Xanthee win at the World Athletics U20 meet?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What are the barriers?
What do you think are the disadvantages or barriers for young athletes in regional and remote areas? List as many as you can think of.
Time: allow at least 15 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social Capability
2. Extension
Think about your answer to the first activity. How do you think Xanthee and Andre have been able to overcome these? Write a paragraph for each athlete that describes this.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social Capability
VCOP ACTIVITY
Girls in sport
There are many sports in which we’re seeing an increase in young female participants. What sports have you noticed, or maybe joined yourself, where you have seen an increase in the number of girls now playing? How do you feel about this? Why do you feel this way? Do you think it’s a positive shift? Why/why not?
Use your VCOP to express how you feel towards girls taking up more sporting roles. Explain why you feel this way. Use your emotive language to express your point of view.