00:00 There's a certain feeling Addison Covel has before races.
00:06 I always get a bit scared before the gun goes off to go, but once I start running it all
00:12 goes away.
00:13 The 14-year-old is training in the bush town of Catherine in the Northern Territory.
00:19 Competing in this year's Australian All Schools Championships in Perth, she'll be going up
00:24 against people training in world-class facilities.
00:27 But she doesn't mind giving her rivals a head start.
00:32 It's a bit hard sometimes, but I'm used to it now.
00:37 It might not look like it, but this is Catherine's premier athletic track.
00:42 It's grass rather than synthetic, the lines aren't permanently marked, and as you can
00:46 see the track isn't even completely flat.
00:49 But that's just some of the issues that Catherine's youngest and most exciting athletic prospects
00:55 are dealing with.
00:56 Chantelle Parker works with many young athletes in the region and says access to coaches year-round
01:02 is also an issue.
01:04 With Addison she's going to get to a level where she will have to leave and hopefully
01:09 strive for another, for an organisation that can help in another area in Australia.
01:15 One Territorian faced the same choice over 30 years ago.
01:20 I could only do so much in the NT and for me to represent Australia and chase that dream
01:26 I had to go to Perth.
01:28 Nova Peris went on to become the first Aboriginal Australian to win gold at the Olympics.
01:34 To be the 1% in anything is hard, it's the ultimate sacrifice, it's being disciplined,
01:41 it's saying no to your mates when they want you to go out and party.
01:46 Addison's family also weighing up their daughter's future.
01:50 We have spoken about it as a family or maybe individually for her if she does get accepted
01:55 into a program that can support her elsewhere.
01:57 Taking that leap, a tough decision facing not just Addison but many regional athletes
02:04 chasing Olympic dreams.
02:06 All my friends are here, school's here, I don't really want to leave it behind.
02:11 But for now it's a matter of one foot in front of the other for these future champions.
02:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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