Bowral Little Athletics member Harry Keats finishes third in u14s 800m race at Australian Track and Field Championships

He has a big motor, does not give up and if you watch him race, he looks so violent with his running action.

The 12-year-old recently took part in the Australian Track and Field Championships at Sydney Olympic Park and won a bronze medal in the u14s 800m race with a personal best time of 2.08 minutes.

That achievement surprised his parents, especially his father John.

"I didn't expect him to be such a good runner," John said.

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"He actually comes from a cooking family and is the great grandson of chef and food and cooking writer Margaret Fulton."

John said the most remarkable thing about Harry was his ability to compete in any distance.

However, the Bowral athlete had to choose a couple of distances and went with the 400m and 800m.

Prior to the event, he tried out the u14s 400m and 800m races at the state championships as that would be the youngest age group available at the nationals, and won both of them.

John has seen many parents at sporting events who act like armchair coaches, but that is not his style.

"When he told me he loved running, I said I would drive him anywhere he wanted to compete," he said.

"I don't want to be the parent who yells at their child from the sideline because I'm his father and not his coach.

"I've seen parents yell at their kids and I know how it can end up."

The Oxley College student will now head to New York to compete and to try to enhance his resume.

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