But if you're Zen Clark you can consider it a handicap before you chase down all your rivals.

Despite giving up a five metre start to his rivals in the recent New South Wales Junior Athletics Championships under 20s 100m final the Bathurst athlete still powered home to take the gold.

Clark was well down from his personal best time of 10.56 but the run of 10.92 was enough to complete the comeback effort.

He then chased a sprinting double later in the meet in the 200 metres and was made to work hard for it.

Clark was in a class of his own as he won his heat in 21.53 - more than half a second clear of the next best runner.

In tougher conditions for the final Clark timed to run to perfection, winning in 21.62 to complete his double gold medal pursuit.

"I'd false started twice before those events, and been disqualified twice this year already, and the first time I ran I almost did it to myself again but I just got it perfectly on the gun. The second time I just stayed on the blocks because I was scared I'd do it again," Clark said.

"At state my blocks slipped and I fell behind about five metres but was still able to win by about 10.

"Training's been alright and luckily all the smoke is gone now and it's possible to get into training again."

Clark is currently one of the fastest under 20s sprinters in the world, and he's got even bigger fish to fry than the upcoming Australian Track And Field Championships (March 21-24).

He'll be using the nationals as a chance to try and lower his personal bests ahead of a potential campaign at the Junior World Championships.

Clark's currently the second fastest runner in the world for his age group and his 100m personal best is just six hundredths of a second outside the World Championship qualifier.

However, even if he fails to hit the 10.50 mark Clark can still be given a ticket to the event in Kenya by Athletics Australia.

Clark is certainly on the right path after he ran a new 200m personal best of 21.34 in Canberra.

"Australia set their own qualifying time for the world championships, and I'm six hundredths off that, and if I don't get it they can still decide to send me if they want to," Clark said.

"I'm in the relay team at the moment so I could be sent over for that as well."

Clark isn't the only Bathurst athlete enjoying a golden moment at state.

Kane Simmons was the javelin winner in the under 20s age group, throwing 52.66 metres to narrowly see off Mingara's Nathan Graham (52.03m).

Jack Lynch fared well against older athletes in the under 20s 400 metres to crack the 50-second barrier (49.50) in his heat and earn direct qualification to the finals.

Lynch ran fourth on track in the final, improving two hundredths, but with a Queensland competitor in the field he was awarded state bronze.