Meet the Alabama-bound running star who trains with a parachute
Updated . First published at
Daniel Williams grew up in a small coastal town running with a parachute blowing behind him, on an Aussie rules oval that’s only marked for athletics in the summer.
At the world athletics under-20 championships in the USA this weekend, the country kid with a mullet, a mo and a silver ear-stud is gunning for global gold.
Daniel Williams running in the semi-finals of the men’s 800 metres at the world athletics under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon. Ben Levy/Australian Athletics.
“I want to show other country kids that you don’t need city resources to make it to the world stage,” Williams, who turned 19 this week, tells nine.com.au.
Williams and Australian teammate Harry Halleen will line up in the men’s 800-metre final at the iconic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday at 12.08pm (AEST).
Williams, with a personal best of 1:44.37, is the fastest in the field.
In Monaco last month, he ran a 1000m race in 2:16.41 to break a national under-20 record set by the prodigious Cameron Myers, possibly the world’s greatest-ever junior middle-distance runner.
And in a tactically exquisite 800m race at the Adelaide Invitational in March, he timed his run perfectly to pip former national champion Luke Boyes by 0.01 of a second.
His promise on the track is mesmerising.
Where Williams is from, Nambucca Heads on the Mid North Coast of NSW, the closest synthetic athletics track is three-and-a-half hours away, all the way up on the Gold Coast.
Before his interval sessions in footy season, when the local oval has no athletics track markings, his coach Andrew Rowlings walks around dropping cones every 25 metres, setting out a 400m lap.
The parachute drill improves his drive off the start line and change of speed. He straps a parachute around his waist and sprints against the wind.
He also does sprints with a weighted sled tied around his waist.
“When you don’t have the facilities, and you don’t have the easy access to all this state-of-the-art equipment and these tracks, you do have to get creative,” Williams says.
“I take 100 per cent pride in being a regional athlete.
“I don’t see the lack of facilities as a limitation; running on grass and using sleds build a unique strength and toughness that you can’t replicate on a synthetic track.”
But his training environment is about to become radically different.
When the world championships wrap up, the rising star will begin life on a student-athlete scholarship at Auburn University in Alabama.
He’ll have a synthetic athletics track, a world-class gym and every other high-performance luxury he could possibly want, including the guidance of a nutrition expert, physiotherapy and psychology, on his doorstep.
“The resources in the NCAA system are incredible from a high-performance standpoint,” Williams says.
“It will be a massive game-changer for my training and development.”
Scores of Australian track and field athletes have taken the NCAA path. Among them are Jessica Hull, Linden Hall, Genevieve Gregson, Mackenzie Little, Olli Hoare and Ky Robinson.
“The most valuable and standout thing about college is access to competition,” Williams adds.
Daniel Williams is a middle-distance rising star. Ben Levy/Australian Athletics.
“The NCAA system is world-class. There are hundreds of Olympians across different disciplines in the NCAA, so competing weekly with that class of athletes will be invaluable to take back to a domestic season, qualifying events, and major championships like the LA Olympics and Brisbane 2032.”
Williams was originally enrolled with Penn State University.
He switched to Auburn University to follow the move of an Australian guy, Ryan Foster, who coaches in the NCAA system.
“The Alabama move means a lot closer to the beach, and the climate suits my hometown climate a lot more,” says Williams, who will study a business degree.
“So I’m excited for the move and I see it as a positive move.”
As a young tacker, Williams would run in the Mid North Coast Cross Country Series each Sunday. He would tackle a two-kilometre race, have a 20-minute breather, and then race five kilometres.
He also had a crack at Aussie rules, rugby union, surf lifesaving and life guarding.
Daniel Williams pipping Luke Boyes to win an epic 800m race at the Adelaide Invitational in March. Australian Athletics.
Inspired by Peter Bol, he narrowed his focus on athletics around the age of 13.
“Sharing the track with him now is an incredible experience, and I’m looking forward to the day I can hopefully edge him out in an 800m,” Williams says.
What drives him?
“I’m driven by always looking at what’s next. I’m never fully satisfied.
“The feeling of ticking off a goal you’ve been itching toward is deeply satisfying.”
