Mitchell Watt's return to athletics is a blessing for Australia

By John Bagratuni Aug 30, 2011, 8:36 GMT

Daegu, South Korea - Until four years ago Mitchell Watt was a talented rugby player who might even have represented Australia at next month's World Cup, like some of his former team-mates.

But instead of gearing up with the Wallabies, the 23-year-old is in Daegu at the world athletics championships as a hot gold medal contender, having landed the four best jumps of the year including an Oceania record 8.54 metres.

Barring disaster in qualifying Thursday and in the next day's final, Watt's return to athletics could culminate in Australia's first long-jump gold on the global stage.

'I hope for a good qualifying on Thursday. I am on a bit of a high. I have lots of confidence from the victories this season,' the Queenslander told reporters on Tuesday.

'I have been thinking about the gold since Berlin (where he took bronze at the 2009 worlds). Yes, I would be disappointed if I don't get the gold.'

Watt showed an early talent for athletics but decided he had enough of it at age 14 and switched to rugby.

'I got sick of athletics. All my friends went to rugby and it seemed a lot more fun than running around a track,' he said.

Watt played schoolboy rugby and some of his former team-mates are now stars of the Australian team set for the big event in New Zealand such as Quade Cooper and Will Genia.

However, Watt said he was never fully comfortable in rugby, but it took a coincidence to bring him back to athletics in early 2008.

'One summer I met an old athletics friend who took me along to training. I hadn't trained in five years. I must have been crazy,' Watt said.

The rest is history. Watt met coach Gary Bourne at the session and 18 months later received the bronze medal at the Berlin 2009 worlds from the granddaughter of legendary American Jesse Owens, who won four Olympic golds in the Berlin stadium in 1936.

Watts came out of nowhere there, but this time around is firmly established at the top with three Diamond League season wins. His 8.54m-jump in Stockholm a month ago remains his best jump, but he confirmed his form with 8.45m, and two 8.44m leaps coming to Daegu.

Ngonidzashe Makusha of Zimbabwe and Olympic champ Irving Saladino of Panama are his nearest rivals with 8.40m, and three-times world champion Dwight Phillips of the United States can't be counted out either.

However, Watt is ready for the challenge, even if it takes another personal best.

'It will probably take around 8.60m for the win. I think I can do that,' said Watt.

If successful, Watt would be the first Australian to triumph at the worlds, and he already has the Olympics in his sights as well where Australia have three silvers so far from Theo Bruce (1948), Gary Honey (1984) and Jai Taurima (2000).

Watt said he wants to go one better at the Games, 'if not 2012 (in London) then 2016 (in Rio).'