WANDONG Primary School student Kirra Wright has brought home two gold medals from the 2018 School Sports Australia National Championship on the Sunshine Coast.
Kirra won both the 2000m race and 1000m time trial in the 10-year-old multiclass category, which incorporates athletes with various disabilities, at Maleny Gold Course last Saturday, August 25
She won the 2000m in 10:59 and the 1000m time trial with a personal best of 4:24.62.
Kirra said she was shocked when she realised she won and sang to herself while she ran to help get her through the race.
“I was singing Eye of the Tiger because it got me motivated to get to the finish line,” she said.
“I was very excited when I won. I couldn’t wait to get back to school.”
Kirra’s mother Kylie Portelli said she was still coming to grips with her daughter being national champion.
“I wasn’t expecting any gold medals. I just told her to go out, do your best and have fun, that’s all that matters,” she said.
“Kirra was like, ‘I’m going out and getting a gold medal’. I said to just have fun and she said ‘I’ll have fun but I’m winning a gold medal’.
“She was really determined. She said she wanted to do it for Wandong and that was all that was in her head as she was running.”
Kirra was welcomed back to Wandong Primary School with a ticker tape reception, with students lining the path all the way from the front gate to her classroom and showering her with confetti.
She also went around to classrooms to tell fellow students about her trip and the race, had a Q&A session and a special assembly to recognise her achievements.
Wandong Primary School wellbeing coordinator Julie Smith said she school is beyond proud of Kirra.
“It’s been fantastic the response we’ve had from parents, kids and the wider community getting behind Kirra,” she said.
“All the donations people made to help send her up there certainly paid off and we look forward to watching her in the future and no doubt she’ll be in the Paralympics soon.”
