Former Little Athlete Lauren Wells is to be inducted into the Coles Little Athletics Australia Roll Of Excellence on 20th October 2018 at the National Arboretum, Canberra.
Lauren Wells is a former Little Athlete and eleven- time national 400m hurdles champion and dual Olympian. In addition to being an elite athlete, Lauren is a passionate supporter of Little Athletics and an exceptional ambassador and role model who continues to inspire the next generation of athletes.
Little Athletics Career:
Lauren Wells started Little Athletics in 1993 at the age of five with the Corroboree Little Athletics Centre in Dickson, ACT and continued to participate for ten years through to the U15 age group. She enjoyed Little Athletics and participated in the full variety of track, jumps and throws events and even proved to be a handy race walker. Twelve years on, Lauren still holds a total of nine centre records for the following events: High Jump, 60m Hurdles, 1500m Walk, Javelin, 90m Hurdles, Triple Jump and 200m.
A talented all- rounder Lauren was selected at the age of fourteen in the U15 ACT Multi Event Championship team for the Australian Little Athletics Championships on the Gold Coast. It was around this time that she started training with Matt Beckenham, her present day coach.
Not surprisingly, the hurdles event was a favourite from a very young age. Lauren also enjoyed the social aspect of Little Athletics where she made many new friends, many of whom are still friends to this day. She maintains a close connection with the Corroboree Centre and has an annual trophy named after her. Her parents Kerry and Neil have dedicated many years of exemplary service to Little Athletics in the ACT.
Post Little Athletics Career:
Lauren has been selected in the Australian Athletics Team on eighteen occasions since her appearance at the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2005 at the age of 16 years and 11 months. She became a dual-Olympian in 2016 after being selected as Vice-Captain of the Australian Athletics team for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio, Brazil. Lauren’s consistency and durability over a continuous period of thirteen years on the international athletics circuit has been quite remarkable. In addition to representing Australia with distinction at the following iconic events, Lauren has a distinguished history of winning 400m Hurdles events overseas - in countries such as Belgium (where she ran a PB of 55.08 in July 2013), Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Japan. After returning home from the
World Championships in 2017 Lauren decided to return to an event she competed in at the World
Youth Championships, Long Jump, and was successful in gaining a spot on the team for the Commonwealth Games in this event as well as her pet event of 400m hurdles and the women’s 4 x 400m relay.
Junior National Titles
Senior National Titles
Australian Record
World Cup/Continental Cup
Australia vs England Ashes Match
Awards
Professional Running
Lauren has competed in the professional running circuit in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania since 2005, including racing at the annual Stawell Gift weekend on eight occasions. Highlights include:
Personal Bests
In addition to being an elite athlete and Olympian, Lauren has also distinguished herself ‘off’ the field, becoming a highly visible and prominent personality in the Canberra sporting community.
Lauren coaches a small squad of young athletes and is a regular ‘volunteer’ speaker and presenter at Awards Nights for Little Athletics ACT and our Centres, as well as Senior Clubs. She has also been invited to speak to students at a number of Primary and Secondary Schools. Having already gained a Science Degree with a double major in Psychology, Lauren has now returned to the University of Canberra to obtain her Primary School Teaching Degree.
Lauren’s family has become synonymous with athletics in the ACT. Her father, Neil Boden, is President of Athletics ACT, an organisation that continues to support Little Athletics with volunteer officials, development support, and cooperation in the area of transition from Little Athletics to senior competition. Lauren’s mother Kerry began her association with the Corroboree Little Athletics Centre in 1992 and was appointed to the position of LAACT Administration Officer in late 2004, a position that was upgraded to Executive Officer, and held through to late 2014. Kerry is a Life Member of LAACT.
An Ambassador for the Sport of Little Athletics:
Lauren has always been extremely generous with her time. She understands the importance of giving back to the sport that has afforded her so many opportunities in life. Whether it be participating in programs such as the Kids Athletics Clinic in Stawell Vic (above), or taking time out for photos with fans (LAACT Multi-Event Carnival, November 2012, above right), Lauren’s commitment to athletics and the welfare of children is always apparent. At right, Lauren provides important tips on performing under pressure, as well as advice on managing expectation and disappointment, to the ACT’s 2016 ASICS ALAC team prior to their departure for Adelaide. She also emphasised the importance of having fun, growing through experience, maintaining balance in life, and supporting team mates.
Coles Little Athletics Australia acknowledges and pays respect to all traditional custodians of the lands of which we work, run, jump and throw throughout Australia. We pay respect to elders both past, present and emerging.
We are committed to a positive future for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and to honor their ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to this country and recognize the role and value of culture.