After competing at a local level in discus, 12 year-old Dakota went through to the district and regional levels before competing at a state level in the PSSA State Athletics Carnival in October.

Bombala Public School’s sports coordinator Jenni Moreing said it was a culmination of almost a year’s dedicated training and hard competition.

“To have reached this high level of competition is a credit to Dakota and her family, particularly her mother who has spent many hours training and advising her,” Ms Moreing said.

“She should be extremely proud of her efforts and achievements.”

Dakota’s mother Tina Usher has helped Dakota with her discus throwing.

Ms Usher was a state level competitor at discus when she went to school and has been helping Dakota with her training.

“There’s no pressure,” Ms Usher said. “She doesn’t train every day, it’s really a case of she’s just good at it.”

Mum and daughter both go to the school sports oval where Dakota first goes through a warm up before running a lap of the oval.

“Then we have a few throws of the discus,” Mrs Miles said.

“This is the second time Dakota has gone to state.

Mum Tina Usher, dad Shane Miles and twin brothers 10-year-old Jake and Jye all travelled to Sydney to watch Dakota compete.

“We left on the Tuesday, Dakota competed on Wednesday and then we all drove home on Thursday,” Mrs Miles said.

Dakota is also a representative netball player, on the Sapphire Coast rep team in Bega.

“We are very proud of Dakota’s performance, commitment and achievements,” Mr and Mrs Miles said.

Ms Moreing congratulated Dakota, saying “Bombala Public School is very proud of her.”

The discus throw is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors.

It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by the fifth-century-BC Myron statue, Discobolus.  

Although not part of the modern pentathlon, it was one of the events of the ancient Greek pentathlon, which can be dated back to at least to 708 BC.