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Gareth Fullerton

Co Down teen says Commonwealth Youth Games selection 'came out of the blue'

Jamie Moffatt thought he was in a spot of bother before discovering he had been selected to represent Northern Ireland at this summer's Commonwealth Youth Games.

The Co Down teenager was sitting in his bedroom when his father Kirk shouted up the stairs to him.

But that moment of dread quickly turned into celebration when the 17-year-old was told he was heading to Trinidad and Tobago this August.

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Jamie has been selected as Team NI's sprinter for the Games, which are being held from August 4-11. He is one of five athletes travelling to the Caribbean nation.

The Bangor teen said: "I am delighted to get the nod. It came as a huge surprise as I wasn't expecting anything like that.

"I was focusing on exams at the time so it wasn't on my mind at all. Being selected means so much to me, particularly as I am relatively new to the sport.

"I found out through a phone call at about 7.30pm one night, just after I had my dinner. My dad answered the phone and then shouted for me up the stairs.

"I actually thought I was in trouble for something. I came downstairs and was told the news, and it was amazing.

"I then went and told my coach (Roger Sexton) who was over the moon. His son Aaron won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games so it is a special competition for him.

"This will be my first international event. I’m really looking forward to the experience as part of team of talented young Northern Irish athletes."

Jamie's preparations are well under way as he counts down the days to the Games. He admits the conditions in Trinidad and Tobago will present some new challenges.

"Trinidad and Tobago will be different. It will be warm and humid and I will have to get used to it all," he added.

"We have to start training in heavy clothes to get used to sweating more. And we have to try out different hydrations methods.

Jamie Moffatt is been in superb form this season, clocking a personal best 100m time of 10.88 (Kirk Moffatt)

"Also I will be coming up some of the best sprinters in the world, from South Africa, Jamaica, Canada and Australia. There are a lot of top sprinting nations in the Commonwealth so it will be a massive challenge.

"But it is an opportunity I am ready to grasp with both hands. This is where I want to be.

"It has been a real team effort to get to this point, with invaluable support and encouragement from my coaches, Roger Sexton and the guys at Fortius Gym, and also the physios looking after me. I realise that I have been given a fantastic opportunity and look forward to getting into those starting blocks."

He added: "I relish these challenges. This is the big time, and my first international meeting.

"It will show where I am at at this stage of my career. And this is the stage I want to be competing at in the future, against the best there is.

"This is what I always wanted since I started sprinting. So I can't wait."

Jamie Moffatt heading for victory (Kirk Moffatt)

Jamie recently posted a personal best time of 10.88 secs in the 100m, and he hopes to "chip away" more time this weekend when he competes at the Irish Under 20 Championships at Tullamore.

He said: "There has been improvement every time I have ran. My personal best is now 10.88 and hopefully I can keep chipping away at that.

"I have had a few minor niggles to overcome. But you learn to manage them.

"And I have been upping my recovery. Things like getting an ice pack on my legs straight after a tough training session, and also doing ice baths.

"The ice baths are challenging. My first attempt was in and out in 20 seconds, but now I can last about four minutes.

"You learn how to breathe through it. But it can be painful, it feels like frostbite.

"I am hoping to beat my personal best this weekend. I hope to get below 10.8 seconds.

"I have had a good recovery period. I haven't competed in a while but I have been training, so I feel in a good position to go faster.

"I will have good conditions to run a PB, and I am going up against a strong field. I think that will bring the best out in me.

":And it is another good gauge to see where I am at."

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