14-year-old track star recognised in WAIS development program

A young Dunsborough runner is showing great promise for a future career on the track, named as part of the Western Australian Institute of Sport’s 2022 Talent Target Program.

At just 14 years old, Isabella Bidesi adds the achievement to her already bursting trophy cabinet and is the only Dunsborough athlete to be named as part of the exclusive squad of 37.

Part of Athletic Australia’s early talent identification strand of its High-Performance Pathway Strategy, the program aims to develop young athletes to realise their potential and progress towards representation at junior and senior competitions.

Isabella said she was excited to have such a great opportunity as a regional athlete.

“It’s a great feeling to know a country kid can reach such high levels without getting any of the coaching that Perth kids get,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to mixing with the other athletes that were selected and using some of the high performance facilities at WAIS.”

In addition to the program, the speedy teenager was also recently selected for the school sport WA State cross-country team set to compete in Adelaide later this year.

A humble competitor, she confessed cross-country was just “a way to keep off-season fitness.”

“I prefer track running — middle distance, as it’s a lot more enjoyable,” she said.

“I just do a little bit of cross country to keep some off-season fitness and it’s a bonus that I finished third in WA for my age group in the recent 4km event and made selection.

“I made the cross country team the last few years and it’s quite fun doing some off-road racing.”

Despite the high stakes that come with national competition, she admits she is just in it for pure enjoyment.

“I love competing with my friends, and I love not just athletics but swimming, hockey and triathlons when there are opportunities to do that as well, I just like to keep it fun by not being too serious,” she said.