A farmer's daughter that once used to jump hay bales and stockyards for fun and a cross-country convert to the track have broken into the world top-20 teen athletes.
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For Abbie Butler and Sam Clifford, they now share more than just the fast times in her pet 2000-metre steeplechase and his 5000 metres.
"It's unbelievable for two Tassie athletes and especially also from Launceston to be at the top of world rankings," Butler said after first being told of the dual records.
Both have achieved the feats at the Newstead Athletics Club where most of their world compatriots are from established middle-distance havens Kenya and Ethiopia.
The confidence of the shy 15-year-old Butler has been given a boost now knowing she is tracking towards one day heading to the Olympics.
"Honestly this time last year, I didn't even think I'd have a national medal or anything else," Butler said.
"Now to know that I am ranked No.1 in Australia and in the top 20 in the world is still just unbelievable.
"It's good to know that I'm one step closer to my dream."
Butler continued to smash three regional records for Kings Meadows High School on Friday but all on the flat.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
But a unique upbringing from most of her peers made Butler stand out on the track.
"I grew up on a farm just jumping things and it has always been quite natural to jump stuff I see," she said.
"I was quite good at the hurdles in Little Aths and dad once said try steeplechase."
Clifford joined Butler two weeks later this month in the world list for his age group.
Unlike his shocked Newstead clubmate, the 17-year-old was well aware of what he had achieved in Melbourne.
"I look through the IAAF standings quite a fair bit, especially for world junior qualifiers," Clifford said.
"Just to see what athletes are in contention to run for their countries. It's really hard to do because there's obviously a lot of East Africans in the list and Japanese."
Clifford plans to use the filip as a springboard to next year's world juniors.
"It is motivating to see where I stand in terms of global terms. It sort of went into a progression of this is where I'm here at this level to the next," he said.
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Andrew Mathieson
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
