World U20 Team Profiles: Laura Roderick, Jasmin Guthrie and Katie Gunn

14 July 2022

World U20 Team Profiles: Laura Roderick, Jasmin Guthrie and Katie Gunn

Today’s junior profiles, in the leadup to the World U20 Championships, are distance runner Laura Roderick, sprinter Jasmin Guthrie and long jumper Katie Gunn.

LAURA RODERICK – 5000m

Just two years after starting to train in the sport of athletics, Laura Roderick qualified in the 1500m, 3000m and 5000m for the 2022 World U20 Championships. In March, she won the 5000m trial and Australian U20 title to secure automatic selection.
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Although Laura started in athletics very young, she has been a later comer to formal training. Encouraged by her dad, she started running at age 9 as he was himself a runner. It led her to joining Little Athletics with a friend
“I didn’t really train throughout primary school and most of high school, instead just relying on general fitness and natural ability to move through the levels of cross country and track.”
In year 10, Laura joined a squad and started training with a coach.
“This provided me with some structure and great sessions, as well as the opportunity to make great friends.
Due to COVID, school sport couldn’t go ahead to the same extent for my final two years, so I naturally started to focus more on running.” 

In addition to athletics and cross country, throughout her school years Laura was involved in a range of sports, some at school and some with clubs. They included: netball, swimming in a squad, water polo and basketball.

Laura started to emerge in the athletics over the 2020/21 season, clocking best times of 2:10.39 (800m) and 4:30.46 (1500m) – her later performance earning a State bronze medal.

Much of Laura’s training and racing in 2021 was hampered by COVID event cancellations and her HSC, leading to inconsistent training.

Returning to competition in 2022 she ran two good 3000m races in late January. Then in February she made a major breakthrough over 5000m in the NSW Championships, clocking 16:16.11 - a World U20 Championships qualifier.
“I was new to really taking the sport seriously, so in the lead up to State 5k I didn’t know what to expect. I knew the qualifying standard was 16:40, and my coach and I both thought it would be a stretch to get this in my first 5k race, but I went out there and ran a 16:16.”
It also resulted in a major mind shift for Laura.
“This was probably the moment when I actually started to think I was a good runner, as before this I didn’t have a lot of confidence.”

Laura and her coach then set a goal on the 1500m and 3000m qualifiers, which she achieved. 
“By the time nationals came around, I knew I was in a good position for automatic 5k selection, and that all I had to do was secure a win.” Which she did in style.

Through all the changes in Laura’s development, school to university, injuries and life priorities, she singled out coaches Jordan and Warren Williams having been ‘incredible’.
”Both of them respect me as a person, so understand that there are some things I value higher than running and won’t sacrifice. Instead, we work together to adapt my program so that I can still enjoy being young whilst training. They have also been really influential in helping me stay on top of my health, working with me to overcome challenges and heal from any injuries whilst encouraging me to remain positive. Their coaching has helped me learn so much about running and how to train, helped me make friends, and also helped me to get to World Juniors.”

Education: Commerce and Advanced Studies majoring in International Business and French at Sydney University…Someone Laura admires: New Zealand movie director Taika Waititi. His approach to making movies is so fun and light-hearted, whilst still conveying important messages. Some of my favourite movies by him are ‘Hunt for the Wilder people’, ‘JoJo Rabbit’, and ‘What we do in the Shadows’…Biggest challenge: Finding a balance, managing university, running and life outside of running. “Having aspects to your identity that don’t revolve around running was important for me whenever I’ve had any injuries or taken any breaks.”…Advice to your young self: “Don’t sacrifice pieces of yourself to make other people happy, and definitely don’t try to change yourself to fit in any certain box. It’s better to be authentic, and the friends you make as yourself will love you for what makes you unique.”…Hobbies: I love food, so I really enjoy trying out new cafes and restaurants with friends when I have the time. I also like to cook, reading, watching movies, beach and a late-night dance floor!

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KATIE GUNN – Long Jump

After a few years regularly jumping over six metres, Katie Gunn when up a notch during the summer of 2022 to secure her long jump place in the Australian team for the World U20 Championships.
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Central Coast’s Katie Gunn started in Little Athletics at age five. “I got into the sport as all my siblings were involved in Little Athletics and I just automatically followed in their footsteps.”

Initially she competed in sprints, hurdles and jumps. Between under-13s and under-14s she dramatically improved, going from 14th place to second the next year. At aged 15, she was up to 5.96m in the long jump, going over six metres for the first occasion in February 2019, a month after turning 16.

Over the next few years, including through COVID, she regularly recorded a seasons best of six metres. But her 2022 campaign saw her progress further with a number of jumps around 6.20m as she won the National junior title and secured automatic selection in the Australian team for the World u20 Championships. In May she raised her best again to 6.23m competing on the Gold Coast.

Katie explained her impressive 2022 season.
“One challenge I have faced over the years is lacking the confidence in competitions from being a rather shy and reserved person. It took sometime but I have learnt to believe in myself and this Nationals was probably the most relaxed I have ever been while competing.”

Hobbies: hiking in national parks and cooking…Education: First year Bachelor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Newcastle Ourimbah Campus…Interesting facts:  I have 11 siblings with one of my younger brothers having cerebral palsy, even though I am a long jumper I hate the feeling of sand in my shoes and although coming from the Central Coast I love the beach but I have a phobia of seaweed…Idol: training partner Nicola Mcdermott - her work ethic, the trust and belief she has in herself is inspiring. She is such a hard working and kind athlete, I really look up to her…Most influential person: coach Matthew Horsnell - he has such a passion for what he does and instils in you, a belief in yourself and to trust the steps and process that it takes to build over a period of time to be an elite athlete…Advice to young self: the disappointments are just stepping stones in the path to achieving your goals. 

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JASMIN GUTHRIE – 400m, 4x400m Relay

Over the last two summers, Jasmin Guthrie has compiled great season in the 400m. She won the National U20 title both in 2021 and 2022 and was selected in the Australian 2021 and 2022 World U20 teams.
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In kindergarten, Jasmin Guthrie started her sporting journey playing soccer, then at age six, she and twin sister Isabella joined Little Athletics. Her sporting progression included competing at State Little Athletics from U9 to U15 in the longer sprints – 200 and 400m. She also made the U11 Trans-Tasman team. She played five years of touch football, but at age 16, the focus was just athletics. The impressive times started to flow, over the 2018/19 summer she clocked 24.52 for 200m and for the 400m a series of PBs, down to an impressive 54.44 seconds. At 15, she was now one of the top half-dozen U20 400m athletes in Australia.

In 2020, as COVID impacted competition opportunities, Jasmin maintained that level ahead of an impressive 2021 summer where she ran a series of sub-55 times, hitting a PB of 54.21 in April to claim the National U20 title and automatic selection for the 2021 Australian World U20 team – a squad that didn’t travel to Nairobi in Kenya. 
In early 2022 she opened her summer with a World U20 400m qualifier and continued all summer nailing qualifiers in every race. In late January she dipped under 54 second, clocking 53.85, then at the trials and Australian U20 Championships, she defended her 400m title in a PB 53.73 to secure automatic selection for the World U20 Championships.

The selection of Jasmin and twin sister Isabella is the first-time twins have been selected for Australia for a global meet. The only previous occurrence was the selection of twins for the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games.

What is best about competing: Achieving and accomplishing my goals through every competition. The friends and the social atmosphere. The people who I can share the memories with… Biggest challenge: being compared to my twin sister and the pressure that if one of us does well the other one has too, which places high expectations on the both of us…Idol: Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Cathy Freeman as they both have achieved outstanding results in their career. They are both such dedicated and humble athletes which is so inspiring for younger athletes…Most influential person: Family and twin sister Isabella, and their support. My Coach Angus McEntyre - as his belief in me and his coaching expertise has allowed me to believe in myself and reach my goals and dare to dream bigger…Advice to your young self: Trust in the process, believe in your ability and your training, don’t focus on others and believe in yourself. You will get there and don’t let a bad race affect your mindset towards your goals… Education: Part-time 1st year Exercise Sports Science student at Newcastle Uni in 2022.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Jasmin Guthrie  (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)