Athletics has been his sport for the past seven years and his home is the hammer-throw circle.
The hammer throw is a difficult event to master and does not have the glamour of events like the 100m and 1500m on the track.
"My mate Todd Bates did the event so I thought I'd give it a go," Rusbatch said.
It takes self-discipline to master the intricate movements required of a successful hammer thrower.
He does three turns in the circle and when he has mastered it, he will try a fourth turn, under the direction of his coach, Howden Finnie.
"The hammer is fun to throw and it is an exhilarating feeling when you get the technique right and it flies through the air," Rusbatch said.
He trains for the event four days a week and has already begun training for next season.
His dedication has brought its rewards and last season he was ranked second in the country in his age-group with a throw of 51.44m. He is ranked seventh in the shot put with 14.84m.
The test for an athlete is to perform on the big day and Rusbatch has demonstrated a cool temperament that has brought him success in the big events. The pressure comes when athletes compete at the New Zealand championships and Rusbatch passed that test twice last season.
He was runner-up in the hammer throw at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in Hastings with a throw of 47.14m and collected two medals at the New Zealand track and field championships in Dunedin.
He won a silver medal in the aged 16 event and a bronze medal in the under-19 event.
Rusbatch proved it was no fluke when he won the hammer throw at the South Island secondary schools championships in Timaru with a throw of 50.34m and was second in the shot put with 14.40m.
He broke a three-year-old record by 2.70m at the Otago and Southland secondary schools championships with a throw of 50.46m.
His long-term goal is to compete at the Commonwealth Games and "my ultimate dream is the Olympics", he said.
> Name: Dean Rusbatch (17).
> School: Otago Boys' High School.
> Sport: Athletics, hammer throw.
> Achievements: NZ secondary schools championships, 2010 (second); NZ championships, 2011, under-16 (second), under 19 (third); Otago-Southland secondary schools championships, 2011 (first, record 50.46m); South Island secondary schools championships, 2011 (first) and shot put (second).
