Cooper Wilson: a young sprinter on the rise

Wilson hates losing. In fact, it's the 15-year-old's greatest fear. He "sh**ts" himself over the prospect of failure, as he put it.

So, when his races don't go to plan, "it's the worst feeling", he said.

"I absolutely hate losing. I've had sleepless nights thinking I'm gonna lose," the teen said while sitting on a bench by the duck pond at Bicentennial Park, his brown hair a mop of curls.

Never, however, has Wilson been more confident of winning. The Moore Creek talent has had a breakout season. He clocked the fastest 200 metres (15 years) in Australia, and is top five nationally for the 100m, according to his mother, Linda.

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In the process, he won both events at the CIS Secondary Athletics Championships and the NSW All Schools Championships. They were staged at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.

At the CIS championships in September, he ran a personal best time of 11 seconds in winning the 100m, while his 22.11sec in the 200m final was a PB and a meet record by more than half a second. His 200m time was also quicker than the 16-years record.

At the All Schools championships this month, he ran 11.14sec into a strong headwind in winning the 100m and then clocked 21.86sec in the 200m final, which was a new PB and, according to Linda, the country's fastest time this season for his age group.

At the 2022 All Schools, he finished third in both events.

Coached by renowned mentor Jay Stone for the past two years, Wilson is now eyeing the Australian All Schools Championships at Perth in December and the Australian Junior Track and Field Championships at Brisbane in April.

"I never really had anything to do with training; I was always just naturally, like, all right," Wilson said.

"And then in 2021 we went to All Schools - which was when I came fourth and sixth [in the 100m and 200m, respectively] - to see where I was at. And from there, I just fell in love with it [sprinting]."

A strapping 188 centimetres and 80 kilograms, Wilson's acute drive almost derailed his current season. In August, he tore ankle ligaments while playing netball with his girlfriend.

"And I got too competitive," he said. "And some guy just wasn't happy with me. I jumped up to block a shot, and he shoved me into the pole."

"It just made me work my ar** off every single day [to get fit again]," he said. "And I guess all my work paid off - I won."

Wilson regards his glorious rebound from that setback as his greatest achievement, while his greatest challenge is an ongoing battle.

He explained: "You've gotta always try and be in a positive mindset, because sometimes you're not. It's just hard to deal with it and cope with it - you've just gotta push through it."

And push his way to the top: Wilson hopes to compete at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

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