Ben Langton Burnell- 2015 World University Games

My name is Ben Langton Burnell and I am the number 2 ranked javelin thrower in New Zealand behind Olympic Finalist- Stuart Farquhar. I relocated up to Hamilton in early 2014 and have been training full time alongside Stuart with our world renowned track and field coach- Debbie Strange, with the goal of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games and onwards to 2020 and 2024.

I started throwing in 2009 on the family farm and have dreamt of competing at the Olympic level ever since. I trained mainly on my own for the first few years of my career in Palmerston North with the help of local coach Richard Drabczynski and decided it was time to put everything into the sport because I know I have the potential to get to the Olympic Level. I am at the cusp of breaking through into the Olympic level consistently throwing in the 72-75 metre bracket.

My main achievements to date include:

- 5 time New Zealand Junior Champion

- 2010 Oceania Junior Champion

- World Record Holder- cellphone throwing (120.64 metres)

- 2015 Australian Open Bronze Medalist

- Nationally Carded Athlete (High Performance Sport Olympic Development Program)

- Personal Best 74.69 metres

If you are interested in learning more about the world record cellphone throw the following link is the TV3 news story on it.

http://www.3news.co.nz/sport/video-kiwi-javelin-star-sets-world-record-cell-phone-throw-2013030617#axzz3ZKmF0dM2

TV3 news also did a story on my relocation to Hamilton which can be found in the following link:

http://www.3news.co.nz/sport/farquhar-takes-on-javelin-apprentice-2014050217#axzz3ZKmF0dM2

The World University Games in one of my targeted competitions leading up to the Olympics because it follows the exact same format as the Olympic Games and are considered to be of higher competition than the Commonwealth Games. The overall cost of the trip is $7400 with just over $2,000 already paid for. This includes flights, accommodation, team fees, admin fees, and food for the 14 days we are away.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my description :)

If you are interested in following what I do my facebook, twitter, and instagram tagline is Javmanben