Mathas ready for hot sprint action | Manawatu-Wanganui Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Manawatu-Wanganui

From the winter cold of Wanganui's Cooks Gardens in July to the summer heat/humidity of Singapore at the Junior Olympics.

That's the excitement ahead of 17-year-old Wanganui runner Brad Mathas - just reward for his outstanding list of national and North Island schools titles in the past few years.

Mathas has been selected in the Oceania team as one of two 1000m runners. His teammate is an Australian.

They'll  race against eight athletes from Asia, eight from Africa and eight from the Americas in the event, with the heats on August 17 in Singapore.

It seems that Mathas, for all his talent, has some work to do to become competitive in the event. His best time for the 1000m - although he hasn't run it much - is 2min 28sec, a good 4sec off the European qualifiers.
 The Africans have three likely runners around 1.47:1 for the 800m, but coach Alan Rubick and Mathas have been unable to find their times for 1000m qualifying.

Mathas, however, is not short of confidence. He ran a PB 1.52.9 for the 800 in the Sydney heat in March and knows he can do better.

And his 400m best has come down by one second in the past season  in a limited time of concentration in that event. But that changed with the news from Athletics New Zealand that Mathas had become a "carded" (assisted) athlete in the 800m.

So his training had to be changed.

"The [European] times give us an indication of what we've got to do,"  Rubick said. "But his one kilometre is an unknown quantity."

The build-up is uncertain - no races have been organised by New Zealand or Oceania, but it's likely Mathas will have to do a reasonable 1000m fitness run around 10 days before the team leaves.

Mathas, with an eye on Singapore, has played his last rugby match for Cullinane College for the season. Coach Rubick is probably relieved, but he has been keen the young fellow has a team sport to be involved in, considering running is very much an individual pursuit.

Mathas: "Alan didn't really mind because he thinks it's good to have a team sport with your mates from school. But with individual sport, at least you can say you've done it all yourself."

Mathas believes he can make the final - and that's the aim - as well as recording a PB.

The Singapore heat? His best effort has been on a hot, sweaty Sydney day, so that might not be a problem.

And if he's within reach of the lead with 100m to go, he quietly fancies his chances of finishing as strongly as anyone.

Rubick: "The aim is to do well, do a PB and leave nothing on the track."

Can't ask for more than that.