Doctor Arrives in London with Javelin

Doctor-by-day Mackenzie Little (Angus McEntyre) has arrived in London fresh off a 64.74m seasons best in the women’s javelin, looking to go one better this weekend after finishing second in Monaco. She has joined the world’s best athletes for one final pre-Olympic tune up at the London Diamond League this weekend.

Little, who travelled to Europe five times in 2023 to compete in all of the Diamond Leagues meets [and make the Diamond League final] provided an insight into her determination and discipline in the NSWIS Lights Up athlete documentary series. The NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder revealed that in her first few weeks of working as a doctor, the fatigue she felt at the end of each work day was at a level she’d never before experienced.

Little knew she wanted to do medicine from an early age. Besides viewing science as the ‘fun’ subjects, her parents were both doctors and her study as an elite athlete became a juggling act of managing the time that was needed to travel and compete.

After competing at the COVID impacted Tokyo Olympics, Little’s confidence was boosted by her qualifying for the final. It was an eye-opener because what she realised was no one is invincible, and that the girls that she’d watched on television, and those she’d considered ‘machines’ were, just like her, only human.

And the self-belief she took from that revelation culminated in her winning the bronze medal at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. That was the event where, for the very first time, Little believed she should get a medal. It signalled a new phase in her career where she not only wants results, but, due to hard work and commitment Little believes she deserves them.

Little will contest the women’s javelin at the London Diamond League at 9:50pm AEST, Saturday 20 July and then the javelin qualification at the Olympics at 6:25pm AEST, 7 August 2024.

NSWIS