Peter Howe
A love for long distance running sets our April Don Deeble Sports Star, Emily Mifsud apart from her peers.
“From a very early age I just loved to run around, run everywhere, whenever I got a chance to get outside, I ran,” said an effervescent Mifsud.
Mifsud has turned that love into a blossoming career having started when she was young following in her mother’s footsteps.
She started at Little Athletics, where she found her love of running.
“I competed in every event when I was in little ath’s including the discus and shot put, but running was all I really wanted to do,” reflected Mifsud with some satisfaction.
“I was never a winner of championships, I just loved to compete.”
Mifsud graduated to running at Aberfeldie with Athletics Essendon.
She started running 1500 metre events and graduated to 3000m as she got older and developed more strength. Mifsud puts her success to joining the Maribyrnong Sports Academy and training under Gregor Gojrzewski, and combining her athletic ambitions with her studies.
A typical week for Mifsud involves a training and competing program of six days a week with only Friday away from any athletic pursuit.
A typical Monday is a slow, eight kilometre run, Tuesday’s work is a threshold session including four six-minute repetition runs.
There’s another eight to 10 kilometre easy run on a Wednesday, followed by a speed endurance session on Thursday, that caps off her week.
Add three gym sessions early morning with a focus on core and leg strength and you can see she is a driven young person.
Misfud results resulted in her representing Victoria at the 2022 Australian Cross Country Championships and competing at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships.
Mifsud was then selected to represent Australia at the annual Simplot Games held in Salt Lake City in February.
Athletes from the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia competed in the largest indoor high school track and field event of more than 2000 athletes competing in the carnival.
Mifsud made the final of the 3200 metres, an event she had never run before.
Following a third place in her heat, she finished fourth in the final only 0.6 seconds behind third.
“It was the best thing I have ever done,” reflected a very excited Mifsud, “I had never run on an indoor track before, it is steep and only 200 metres long.
“I improved 20 seconds from my heat to the final. It was an amazing experience.”
Misfud said her hero is Australian champion, Jessica Hull.
Hull finished 11th in the 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics and more recently finished third at the World Cross Country Championships at Bathurst in February.
Mifsud is hoping to emulate her career.
So what does the future hold for Mifsud?
“I am currently completing my VCE this year,” she said. “Post year 12, I’m considering going to college in America, my schoolwork is very important to me.
“I want a high ATAR to get into a physiotherapy course. Naturally I’d love to represent Australia at the Olympics.”
The Don Deeble Sports Star Award is sponsored by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club, Strathmore Community Bank, the Deer Park Club, Ascot Vale Sports and Trophies and the Star Weekly Newspapers.
If you would like to nominate a monthly winner or attend a dinner at the Medway Golf Club, contact swrsportsclub@gmail.com or 0408 556 631.
