Local hero, Australian record
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read
At 17, Grace Crowe spent a week in August doing what most of us only ever watch on a screen. She pulled on the green and gold at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon and raced for Australia at the World Athletics U20 Championships.
"Not many 17 year olds get to fly overseas and compete for their own country, So that will definitely be an experience I'll take with me for life", Grace said.
It started before she even landed.
"Even just going over on the plane with a bunch of athletes, all sharing the one goal of getting on that podium," she said.
On 8 August, Grace ran the third leg of the women's 4x100m relay alongside Thewbelle Philp, Zara Hagan and Emilia Reed. The team won their heat in 43.44 seconds, the fastest qualifying time of the round, breaking the Australian under 20 record and setting an Oceania area under 20 record on the way. Grace's third leg was timed at 10.61 seconds, the quickest third leg run by anyone in the heats.
The next afternoon the four of them lined up again in the final. Jamaica took it in 42.89, ahead of Switzerland and Belgium. Australia finished fourth, a fingertip away from a world championship medal.
"Even though we didn't get on the podium, we still got an Australian and Oceania record in the 4x100m under 20 relay, so definitely very proud of that," Grace said.
Ask her about the part she didn't see coming, though, and it has nothing to do with the track.
"There's so many different cultures and countries, all in the one space. We had to share a dining hall, accommodation and the whole track experience with every other country, so that was pretty cool", she said.
"I've made lifelong friends now in that team, and it's just crazy to think they're all over Australia now."
Getting a young athlete from Buninyong to a start line in Oregon takes more than a fast pair of legs. It takes flights, entries, accommodation, coaching, early mornings and a lot of people quietly backing her. Community Investment support from Community Bank Buninyong, made possible by customers who choose to bank with us, helped get Grace over there to do her thing.
That is the model working exactly as it should. Local people bank locally, the profits come back here, and they turn into things like a 17 year old from our community running the fastest third leg in the field at a world championship.
This is Grace's 2026 Oregon story. We were proud to play a small part in it.
We're doing good things together. To find out how visit www.communitygrowshere.com.au 🌏, call our branch locally in Buninyong on (03) 5341 8066 or email 📧 buninyongmailbox@bendigoadelaide.com.au
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