Thewbelle Philp. Get comfortable with that name - because this sprinter is fast on track to becoming an Aussie household name.
At just 16-years old, Thewbelle is preparing to represent Australia for the first time in the 4x100m race at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championship in Lima, Peru next month. She has her sights set on being an Olympian one day - and we are sure that's going to happen.
Thewbelle is the youngest female in the Australian U '20 relay team heading internationally in August. She’s training 20 hours a week, completing her year 11 school work, study and working a part time job at her local supermarket. TLDR: she's an extremely impressive young woman.
Thewbelle got into running at a very early age (think: five years old). "My parents have always told me since I was able to walk that I have had so much energy. Like a lot of younger kids, being energetic is a normal thing and with that energy, I suppose all you can do is try out all kinds of sports and hobbies. When I was 5 years old and living in Cairns at the time, my dad took me to a little Athletics trial day to see how I would do and if I would like it," she tells Missing Perspectives. "Apparently, I got a lot of positive comments about my speed but Dad told me that I said I didn't like it so we moved onto something new." She says that as she continued to pursue athletics, she realised she had found her "gem."
The spark to run at the Commonwealth Games started because of the 2018 Commonwealth Games which were hosted on on the Gold Coast. Thewbelle was in Year 5 at the time. "My Primary School, Elanora State School, was interviewed for the city of Gold Coast about the chosen mascot, Borobi. I was chosen to be a part of the students playing ‘match the card’ games in the background where the cards written in Yugembeh Language (Head, shoulders, knees and toes)," she says.
"Being a Minjunbul girl a part of the Bunjalung Nation, I was very excited about this. So, when someone asked me what my future goal was, I remember at the time thinking of Borobi, so I said the Commonwealth Games. Ever since that day it has grown on me and 10-year-old Thewbelle's words have set me up for a career with my favourite thing to do."
Right now, the achievement Thewbelle is most proud of is being selected for the world U20 Australian team. "It still blows my mind that I was picked as one of the 4x100m relay runners," she says. "I am very proud of the outcome that had happened at Adelaide Nationals in April 2024, my first gold medals for an Individual event, the 100m and 200m and racing in fifth to secure a spot out of 6 for the Australia squad under 20s."
When competing internationally, especially at such a young age, there's always a catch - funding the trip. Due to lack of commercial sponsorship and funding, Thewbelle’s family is self-funding the trip which will set the family back up to $20,000 and is the biggest hindrance to helping her show her speed at an international and elite level. "Funding is one of the only things that is holding me back from being able to comfortably pursue my dreams," Thewbelle told Missing Perspectives. "We [also] currently do not have a sponsorship which we are really seeking most."
Want to help Thewbelle tick off her goals? Donate to her GoFundMe if you're feeling generous.