Steeplechase Trifecta
In the opening steeplechase event, Nowra was well represented by five athletes in the U16 category. Tom Duncan led the charge for Nowra looking strong and composed the whole way. Tom’s long strides certainly aided him in the water jump, where his leap off the steeple often almost cleared the water. Tom took gold in an impressive 7.10.20. Denzel Atkinson competed in his first steeplechase event, demonstrating his trademark persistence, to take silver in 7.21.71. Not far behind, Nic McGill, competing up an age group, took bronze in his maiden run, in 7.22.52 to complete the trifecta for Nowra. Nowra also had Hamish McLaren finish in 5th in 7.48.45, performing strongly, considering he was still recovering from some hip issues. Competing alongside her brother, in this event, Emily McLaren ran in 1st in the female U16 category. She pushed hard behind Hamish, crossing in 8.06.61 to qualify for Nationals in the U15 event.
Also contesting the steeplechase, was Harrison Baxter, in the U17 category. Harrison displayed great courage in his debut steeple event, to take gold in 7.16.46.
Anna takes double gold
Anna Duncan came away with two gold medals from Maitland, and many more friendships with her winning smile! Anna competed in the U14 1500m where she took the win in 5.18.41 in a strong battle with second place getter Skye Dogan from Byron Bay Runners who crossed in 5:19.26. Anna then backed this up with a confident win in the 800m in 2.32.57. Anna also competed in the 400m where she won her heat in 1.07.01, putting her 5th overall.
Amelia’s silvery light
Middle-distance runner Amelia May is relatively new to racing and this was her first Country Championships event. On debut, Amelia took silver in both the U17 1500m and 3000m. In the 1500m, Amelia completed the race with a calm determination, crossing the line in 2nd place in 5.00.79, amongst a strong field of 8 athletes. In the 3000m, Amelia was 2nd once again, behind Ruby Hughes from Byron Bay Runners, who also won the 1500m. Amelia’s Country silver in this event comes on the back of her recent performance at NSW All-Schools where she achieved a National Qualifier time there with her run of 10.41.51. Her time at Country was just short of her PB, clocking 10.43.43. Amelia is certainly a very welcome addition to Nowra Athletics Club.
Cooper streaks ahead in the 800m
Cooper Barrett interrupted his holiday down the coast to make the journey to Maitland just to compete in his favourite event – the 800m. Cooper streaked ahead of the field immediately and was forced to run his own race out the front. Cooper easily took the win in 2.07.60. The next competitor crossed in 2.11.84. Cooper continues to better his PB every time he races! Great running!
O’Leary’s lead the way
To open the Country Champs competition for Nowra, Leanne O’Leary stepped into the throwing circle for 40-49 years shot put on Friday afternoon. Leanne threw 7.06m to take silver. Next up on Friday evening, was Mark O’Leary in the 50-59 years shot. Mark had two fouls but managed to get two throws on the board coming in 4th with 7.12m. Then it was Flynn’s turn in the U14 discus where he threw 16.12m to take the bronze medal.
Over the rest of the weekend the O’Leary’s were everywhere! This writer/photographer had difficulty keeping up with them all!
Leanne continued throwing, placing 4th in both discus and javelin, and taking a well-earned gold in the hammer with her throw of 15.75m.
Mark decided to tone down his ambitious program of events, opting out of both the 400m and 1500m, but still competing in both the 100m and 200m where he placed 8th in each of them. In the javelin Mark speared 23.94m for 4th and in discus he took home the bronze medal with a throw of 26.45m.
Flynn added a gold medal to his neck, with a win in the U14 shot with 6.40mwhilst Patrick spiked gold in U15 javelin with 24.71m. Patrick also took silver in discus with 27.14m and bronze in shot with 8.25m to take home a medal in each colour.
Liam O’Leary earned himself a bronze medal in U11 shot with his effort of 6.21m. Liam also contested the sprints, with a great positive attitude, coming in 8th in 100m and 9th in 200m. Finally in long jump Liam jumped 2.63m for 6th place.
Nowra Athletics Club loves having all family members participating, and we love the enthusiasm of the O’Leary’s.
Sam spins into silver
Samantha Peace made a return to Country Champs, competing in her favoured event, the discus. Sam’s opening throw was 40.69m. Her next attempt was a foul followed by her best throw of 40.79m, which was enough to secure the silver medal. Sam is building back her confidence and fitness after some competition hiatus. Meanwhile Ashlyn Blackstock took the win with 47m. At only 17, Ashlyn throws with a maturity beyond her years. Interestingly Ashlyn’s PB of 50.13m achieved in January 2020 is just short of Sam’s PB of 50.59 from her 2015 World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia. It’s great to have Sam back!
Harry – future decathlete?
Harry Thomson may well be on the path to following big brother Cooper’s decathlon footsteps, competing in a range of track and field events at Country Champs.
Harry took to the track in the U13 100m and 200m, sprinting to 4th and 5th place respectively. In long jump Harry leapt 3.92m for 4th place but in high jump he soared to 1st place, taking the gold medal for clearing the bar at 1.40m. Harry’s jumping was impressive to watch, starting at 90cm and having only 1 miss throughout the competition at 1.35m, before reaching 1.45m and just failing to clear that height. Harry also earned himself a silver medal in the 90m hurdles.
What a great all-rounder!
Tsar and Natarsha have high presence
Tsar Mandavy was another busy athlete at Country Champs, competing in 6 different events across both track and field. Tsar took a tri-colour of medals home with him for his efforts. In the U18 high jump Tsar jumped an impressive 1.80m to take the gold medal, a clear winner with second place getter clearing 1.65m. In the javelin, Tsar speared 38.47m for a silver medal and in shot, Tsar earned a bronze medal for his throw of 10.22m. In addition, Tsar was 4th in long jump, and 6th in his heat of the 100m. In the 110m hurdles, Tsar was unfortunately not able to finish due to sustaining an injury, but he did battle on to contest, and win, the high jump later that afternoon, a sure sign of a true champion.
Natarsha Mandavy hopped skipped and jumped her way to a bronze medal in the U15 triple jump with a jump of 8.75m and then earned herself another bronze medal in shot put with a throw of 6.06m. Natarsha also came 4th in both the discus and long jump, and placed 5th in her heat of the 100m.
Paul medals despite injury
Paul Musgrove travelled to Maitland, with the intention of not competing, because of a hamstring injury. However, once there, temptation to participate was too great, so he warmed up and then competed in the 50-59 years long jump. Paul was well-shy of his best jump, but managed 4.65m for a bronze medal. With his leg holding up, Paul then contested the high jump, where he successfully cleared 1.45m to take gold. To get points for the Club, Paul competed in the 200m, where he took it easy, but the discomfort on his face was obvious. Paul finished a courageous 7th and promptly sought out ice his leg!