Matthew Rees heads to Poland 2012 IAAF World Championships

He will now launch his spear as one of the 55-strong Australian Athletics team at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Under 20 Championships.

The championships will be held from July 19 to 24 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Rees, has previously represented the country at the Youth Olympics in China in 2014. 

But earlier this month he went up against 12 of the toughest in Australia at the national championships in Perth.

He stepped onto the grass expecting little.

He said his throws had been short and progressing past nationals seemed out of reach.

“I had a personal best of 65.33 metres,” he said.

The competition’s qualifying standard was over three metres further - 68.37 metres. 

However his worries seemed unfounded after he threw a new personal best of 69.20 metres.

It earned him a silver medal behind Queensland’s Connor Warren, who threw a distance of 72.15 metres. 

“[I was] over the moon with the effort,” he said.

“It was completely unexpected due to the lack of distance I have been throwing lately.

“Really it was just the competitive edge coming out.”

Rees said the atmosphere of the nationals was a dramatic change from the regular weekend meets.

“[I] felt like something had to be proven.

“I haven't been throwing well of late and had to show that I'm still in the game.”

While he was stoked about the unexpected explosion of performance, Rees said he’s already focused on the the next step, the next throw.

“Now to train the hardest I ever have,” he said.

Rees said his main goal was to secure a top 12 spot in the final of the international competition.

It’ll be no mean feat.

At the 2014 IAAF in Oregon in the United States, Latvia’s Gatis Cakss won the men’s javelin with a last-round, personal best of of 74.04 metres.

The 2016 IAAF marks the sixteenth championship.

The biennial games were established in 1986.

The last time they were held in Australia was at Homebush in 1996.