After playing a full season in his rookie NBA year, Aussie basketball star Dante Exum, spent the entire 2015\16 season watching from the stands with a knee injury.
At the same time as he was sitting on the sidelines reading the game day program, another Exum family member took the spotlight.
Tierra Exum, took centre stage and exploded onto the sporting scene in 2016.
The 21 year old twin sister of the Utah Jazz star, burst onto the professional athletics scene on New Year’s Day, by winning the Open 70 metre sprint at the Maryborough Gift meeting.
She finished the season in spectacular fashion when flashing home to get second in the rich Stawell Women’s Gift last April, missing the winners cheque by a mere 0.02 seconds.
Tierra is easy to like. She laughs a lot and has an open demeanour.
Strong, athletic and determined, the daughter of former National Basketball League Star Cecil Exum, is forging a name for herself away from basketball, in one of Australia’s oldest sports.
With personal goals that involve more field than track, Tierra sees triple jump as her preferred option but admits to loving running as a ‘pro’.
The former gymnast, turned triple jumper\sprinter, has set her sights high, and is using professional athletics as a springboard to further her triple jump career.
“My goal is to one day make an Australian Commonwealth Games team and represent Australia in the triple jump”, she said.
Introduced to professional sprinting by her coach, she sees ‘pro racing’ as an important step in her development as a triple jumper.
“Pro running is great for my speed, it’s helping me with my triple jump and I really enjoy the racing”, she said.
With a history borne from the goldfields of Victoria in the 1800s and raced mostly on grass, under handicap conditions, ‘pro’ sprinting is unique to Australia and Scotland.
As is the case for successful professional athletes, winning in the Victorian Athletic League has its benefits.
Opposed to amateur athletics, where winners are awarded medals, professional athlete’s race for prize money.
“The money is great and it not only helps me with all the expenses associated with being an athlete but it helps pay for my mobile phone bill”, she laughed.
Like most ‘pro athletes’, early in the season she took aim at the worlds richest professional sprint race, the Stawell Women’s Gift. Unlike most pro athletes though, she almost took home the win.
History says she came a close second in the event to 15 year old Talia Martin.
In one of professional athletics most controversial victories, Martin from Ballarat, had to face the stewards after her rapid improvement.
Said to have improved more in two weeks, than most athletes improve in a lifetime, Talia was given a $2000 fine.
Racing under handicap conditions, it’s a requirement that all athletes run to their full potential in every race. With starting handicaps based on race performances, handicappers judge an athlete based on times and results.
Like the Melbourne Cup in horse racing, poorer performers are given improved handicaps, or better chances to win.
For Tierra it was exciting to be placed in the biggest female race of the year but admitted that the eventual winner was somewhat unexpected.
“It was a great race and I almost got there. Talia had a great race but usually you know who will be your main competition and she was a surprise for sure”.
With money being wagered in the bookies ring, the Stawell Gift has thrown up many ‘smokies’ and surprises over the years.
Offering equal prize money of $60,000 for both the men’s and women’s Gift, Stawell remains a much sought after ‘jewel’ in the professional athletics crown.
For Tierra Exum, the Stawell Gift will continue to be a goal, and at only 21 years of age, she has time on her side.