Striking a balance Athletics, academics and religion

The recently concluded NSW All Schools 2009 Athletics carnival provided a platform for many budding athletes to showcase their talents and shine. Among them was 17-year-old Jayraj Singh Bhatti. The young Baulkham Hills High School student competed in shot put and discus events in the under-19 category and returned home with a silver medal in shot put and a bronze one in discus throw to adorn his shelves.

The NSW All Schools Track and Field Championships for secondary school athletes took place in the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre in Homebush, 5-8 November. 1200 secondary school athletes from all over the state participated. The championship included athletes from all sectors of the school system including government, independent and catholic schools. The competitions were open to any athletes currently attending a NSW secondary school, between the ages of 12-19. In the absence of initial qualifying rounds or selection criteria, any entry that made it through the closing date was eligible to compete. This relaxed environment has, in the past, helped produce some of NSW’s best athletes including Matt Shirvington, Jana Rawlinson, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Olympians Dani Samuels and Joel Milburn. The major sponsor for this year’s event was the gradient compression performance sports equipment, Skins.

Jayraj registered he has been playing shot put and discus since he was eight.

“My interest in these games was sparked by Manu Singh Walia - a family friend who has been competing and winning awards in these sports since he was 15, and also another friend Gurlal Singh Booni who holds the state title in shot put with a record that remains unbeaten after 20 years,” he elaborated.

Though this is the first time Jayraj has won in the NSW All Schools, he has participated before in these and other competitions at the state level. In 2007 he competed in NSW U20 in shot put and discus. He walked off with a bronze medal in shot put in the same year in U18.

Apart from these Jayraj also shares a passion for hockey - in which he was on state levels a few years ago - and karate, which has been a favoured pastime.

Jayraj who is the younger of two siblings has managed to keep a delicate balance between studies, sports and religion. He sat for the HSC this year and is now busy interviewing to secure a place in uni as a student of medicine.

He maintained, “Studies and sports are both major focuses in my life. I will keep on doing sports along with studies and will hopefully keep getting better and better.”

Jayraj’s religious devotion has also earned him the rare honour of meeting