HIGH jumper and graphic design artist Claire Mallett has designed some T-shirts for the Australian team heading to Beijing. Now, she wants to wear one too, as a member of Australia's Olympic team.
Since finishing fifth at the national championships, life under the high bar has been one big strain for the shire's statuesque former beach sprinter.
She has had to contend with foot and calf injuries and shin splints in her battle to train, let alone qualify. But this week she heads to Beijing with other members of the NSW Institute of Sport team for a pre-Olympic Test event, knowing time is running out.
Mallett, who has supplemented her income working in a coffee shop, has garnished together about $4000 from generous shire businesses, in order to make the trip.
But what she really needs to find is some orthotics and another nine centimetres in height to gain an A-qualifying distance and automatic selection for the Olympic team.
``My personal best is 1m 86cm and the A-qualifyer is 1m 95cm,'' said Mallett, near her training base at Wanda Beach, where she regularly runs the tough sand hill course with trainer Paul Watson and his group of athletes.
``That is a big jump, but then we have not been given a time deadline so far for qualifying.
``However I won't have a lot of time after this event, maybe a month at the most, before they select the team.
Mallett, who also is a regular at boxing and weight sessions, sprints, plyometrics and Pilates classes, as well as those sand hill runs, made her mark two years ago when she lost a medal on a countback, eventually finishing sixth, at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
In more recent times, coach Ian Garrett has changed her approach to the bar, making more use of the ``power'' in her long legs, first harnessed in beach sprints for the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club.
``He's got me running faster, off a longer stride, to the jump. I didn't go well at nationals because we only changed [the style] the day before,'' she said of the Olympic trials.
``I know it will work, I know I've got a big jump in me...it's just a matter of time waiting for it to come.
``In any case I will have to jump a personal best just to qualify.''
Penshurst distance runner James Nipperess will also be giving the track at the Beijing Olympic Stadium a test run. He will contest the 1500m and 5000m events during the four-day Test Event, from May 22-25.