Felix McDonald cannot wait to don the New Zealand singlet.
The 17-year-old Taieri athlete, who attends King's High School, will represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in September.
McDonald is one of just five Kiwi athletes picked by Athletics New Zealand for the week-long games in Apia, where he will compete in the long jump and 110 and 400m hurdles.
McDonald, who took up athletics when he was 11, is coming off a fine summer, which included winning a pair of gold medals in the youth long jump and 110m hurdles at the national track and field championships in Wellington in March.
He also won a raft of medals at the national, Otago, South Island and Otago-Southland secondary school championships, and the Otago and South Island track and field championships.
The King's High School year 12 pupil also broke Christopher Barton's 25-year-old Otago record (men's 17 years) on his way to gold in the 300m hurdles at the Otago championships in February.
After being selected for the Athletics New Zealand Pathway to Podium programme for 2015-16 at the end of last season, which identifies him as a contender for the 2020 and/or 2024 Olympic Games, being selected for Samoa was the ''icing on the cake'' for McDonald.
''I was very surprised, because obviously it's so hard to get into it. It really topped off the year,'' he said.
McDonald's selection means he will have to do something he has never had to do before - peak three times in a season.
Usually, he would aim to peak in December for the national secondary school championships, and again in March for the national track and field championships.
Now, he and his coach, Megan Gibbons, are working on a plan which will have him peaking by early September.
''It's going to be difficult,'' he said.
''I will be trying to get ready for a race when there is no competition around at all. Adding one more peak into the season is going to make it that much harder. I have to be that much more focused.''
The talented athlete is already training six times a week, including gym sessions, and is also playing social basketball for his school to ''mix it up and have a bit of fun with the boys''.
After Athletics New Zealand emailed him to confirm his selection for the fifth installment of the games, McDonald went online and chose his New Zealand kit, which will be sent to him.
In addition to winning a stack of medals in the past season, he recorded impressive personal-bests in the long jump (6.89m), 110m (14.30sec) and 400m (55.96sec) hurdles.
McDonald credits his development for his breakthrough summer.
''I've been growing, getting quite tall and using my height and getting more co-ordination,'' he said.
''It's all come together this season. But I think this season coming will be even better. I think getting stronger, and with the height I have, it's just going to give me more of an advantage.''
The Commonwealth Youth Games will be held on September 5-12.
