WHETHER tossing a javelin on the athletics field or creating opportunities for the Newcastle Jets Football Academy, they don’t come more natural than Medowie schoolgirl Kayla Peisto.
The future looks bright for the talented 15-year-old athlete who has accumulated an impressive list of achievements in both track and field and soccer at an elite level.
Kayla is a home-spun product of Medowie Little Athletics Club and this week ventures to Melbourne to compete at the 2025 Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.
The versatile Hunter Sports High student will test her skills against the best javelin throwers in the nation when she lines up in the Girls Under 15s Javelin event.
Kayla qualified for the national titles after earning a silver medal in the 15 years javelin at the NSW All Schools Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.
Her javelin throw of 35.68m placed her second behind gold medallist Madison Cornish of Engadine High, who threw 35.79m to claim the title in a close finish.
Since joining Medowie Little Athletics more than a decade ago, the promising Peisto has blossomed into an all round athlete to be reckoned with.
Last Friday new president Dane Christie presented Kayla with a special $250 Club Achievement Award to recognise her dedication to athletics and assist her with the costs that come with competing.
Club secretary Eileen Christie told News Of The Area that Kayla has stamped herself one of the best junior athletes to emerge from the Medowie Little Athletics ranks.
“She is a gifted young lady who excels in many events with her javelin throwing being on another level altogether,” revealed Eileen, who was a talented athlete in her own right during her sporting days on Sydney’s northern beaches.
“The club is very fortunate to have wonderful role models like Kayla for our younger athletes to aspire to be like and we are all so proud of her,” she added.
A skilful centre midfielder with the Newcastle Jets Academy, the dedicated Peisto gained her representative spurs last season when she starred for Northern NSW Football Under 14s at the 2024 Singapore International Youth Cup – one of Asia’s premier youth football tournaments.
Kayla also left her mark at this year’s Emerging Matildas Football Championships in Sydney where she helped the Northern NSW Under 15s team finish runners up.
A highly competitive student, Kayla also demonstrated her durability and will power while representing Hunter Sports High at the 2024 NSW Schools Cross Country Championships at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.
By Chris KARAS
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