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Sport

22 August, 2022

Kody makes his mark on cross country competition

Maryborough Education Centre student Kody Taggart has recently been rewarded with a strong run in the Victorian All School Cross Country championships by being named an emergency for the national championships in Adelaide, to be held on August 27...

By Michael Thompson

Kody Taggart is always up for a run — as his recent 13th place in the Victorian All-Schools Cross Country championships shows.
Kody Taggart is always up for a run — as his recent 13th place in the Victorian All-Schools Cross Country championships shows.

Maryborough Education Centre student Kody Taggart has recently been rewarded with a strong run in the Victorian All School Cross Country championships by being named an emergency for the national championships in Adelaide, to be held on August 27.

The run, which was held at Bundoora Park in Melbourne’s outer north, saw Kody finish in 13th overall in the male under 17 six kilometre run, competing against schools from around the state.

Mother, Sharee Taggart, says his result came about thanks to the hard work Kody has put in over the last few years.

“I was really pleased to see how far he has come to get to that level. His hard work and his drive and determination is all coming into place for him,” she said.

“He has a training program where he trains every day, running to a program that is sent to him by his coach, Rod Griffin, in Ballarat, who is part of the Eureka Athletics Club. He goes there weekly for club runs and cross country season as well as track season under the Ballarat Regional Athletics Club.

“We can see the improvement with the coaching and training that he is getting, he’s improved out of sight. We’re proud of what he has accomplished as he never had any formal training as a child, it’s been the last few years that he’s had an interest in the sport.

“He’s a kind-hearted and humble kid. He’s focused and he does his job.”

Kody was thrilled with his achievements, even if his status as an emergency means he is unlikely to compete in the national championships in Adelaide. Still, his form suggests that he is not far away from having a breakthrough performance.

“I was happy with the achievement to come in 13th,” he said.

“I’m proud that I made it to an emergency, hopefully I would be able to compete in Adelaide, but I’m not sure I will.”

Kody also mentioned a recent run which helped him prepare well for his achievements in Bundoora.

“I had a 10-kilometre race at Albert Park two weeks ago with all the Melbourne and Victorian athletics clubs in the under 18s category, and I finished third,” he said.

As for his future goals, Kody keeps his ambitions straight-forward.

“Hopefully I can compete at the Olympics and at a high level for running,” he said.

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