Tom takes gold and silver
Tom Duncan led the way in the U16 steeplechase, looking comfortable and confident as he leapt over the steeples. Tom took the win in 7.10.20. He then added a silver medal to his program results in the 800m, crossing the line in 2.11.83. Tom also competed in the 1500m where he came 7th amongst a very strong field.
Dad and son duo debut at Country Champs
Denzel Atkinson had a busy program of events starting with the U16 steeplechase where he took the silver medal. In the 400m, Denzel was 4th in a time of 1.01.21. In the 1500m, Denzel placed 9th, crossing in 5.01.25 and in the 3000m, he battled it out for 5th place, finishing in 10.39.49. Denzel ended his program with the 800m where he ran in 6th in 2.21.60.
Darren Atkinson exhibited courage, style and humility on the track. In the 50-59 years 1500m, Darren ran strongly to finish 3rd in 6.14.45. Darren wasn’t even aware he had taken the bronze medal until his team mates told him, and was very pleasantly surprised. In the 800m, Darren again ran well to place 4th, crossing in 3.00.48.
Both Denzel and Darren were also key components of the famous relay teams for Nowra.
Talea swings in to compete
Talea Miller had just recovered from COVID and finished her 7-day isolation when she and dad Scott travelled to Maitland, so she could compete in the U17 discus. It was a close competition, and Talea narrowly missed the bronze medal, by just 38cm. Talea finished with a throw of 29.39m; a great result, especially considering the circumstances around the lead-up to the competition.
Bronze all round for the Davis family
Darcy Davis, as the eldest of the Davis trio, led the way with a bronze medal in the U16 400m. Darcy finished the sprint race in 1.00.30; so close to the sub-minute mark. In the 1500m, Darcy placed 8th amongst a high prominence of Nowra athletes and in the 800m, Darcy was 4th in 2.18.06.
Elizabeth Davis also took home a bronze medal, finishing 3rd in U13 shot put with a throw of 5.57m. On the track, Elizabeth (Lizzy) placed 6th in her heat of the 100m and 5th in the 200m heat. Then in her final event, Lizzy ran in 6th in the 800m.
Macarthur (Macca) Davis took home, not one, but two bronze medals. In the U10 shot put, Macca threw 5.63m for 3rd place and in the 800m Macca ran 2.49.07 for his 2nd bronze medal. In the 200m, Macca was 6th and in long jump, after jumping 2.42m, he was 5th.
Jonah – Sprints finalist
Jonah Watson performed consistently across the weekend, qualifying for the finals in both the U16 100m and 200m. In the 100m, Jonah clocked 13.25 in his heat then went on to finish 8th in the final in 13.57. In the 200m, Jonah finished 4th in his heat in 26.89 and then in the final was 7th in 26.92. Making sprint finals is not an easy feat, so Jonah performed exceptionally well to make both finals.
Jonah also contested the 400m where he was 6th in 1.02.54 and the 100m hurdles where he was 5th. To add to his hectic track program, Jonah competed in the long jump and jumped to 4th place with his distance of 4.98m.
A Rosie future
Rose Atkins was another Nowra athlete who consistently made the sprint finals. In the U13 100m, Rose finished 4th in her heat and qualified for the final with her time of 15.49. In the final, Rose bettered this time to 15.25 in 8th place. In the 200m, Rose was again 4th in her heat, clocking 32.22. Rose went on to improve this time to 31.86 in the final for 6th place.
In the 400m, Rose was 3rd in her heat and 9th overall, but it was in the long jump where Rose medalled, jumping to 2nd place with 3.84m.
Rose may be pint-sized but certainly makes up for it with her gutsy determination. She has a promising future ahead of her we are certain.
PB’s for Hamish
Hamish McLaren managed several PB’s over the weekend of competition, despite still recovering from hip issues. In the U16 steeplechase, Hamish was 5th in 7.48.45. In a large and competitive field in the 1500m, Hamish was 11th in 5.10.29 and in the 3000m he was 9th in 11.15.86 whilst in the 100m hurdles, Hamish was 4th in 20.15.
In the field, Hamish speared 4th in U16 javelin with a distance of 29.41m, just 2.04m short of the bronze medal, and in discus, he was 10th with a throw of 25.62m.
Hamish’s enthusiasm and commitment to athletics is admirable.
Ruby spears a silver medal
Ruby Marshall earned herself a silver medal in the U17 javelin, spearing 19.99m. On the track, Ruby contested all three of the sprint events. In the 200m Ruby was 5th with a time of 29.62, whilst in the 100m, she finished 7th in her heat in 14.46 and in the 400m she placed 9th in 1.08.69.
Mustapic trio test out their skills
Alisha Mustapic mixed up her competition program between sprints and middle distance. In the U16 100m, Alisha was 8th with a time of 14.25 and then in the 90m hurdles, unfortunately Alisha had some hip issues and didn’t finish the race. After resting up, Alisha returned to the track on Sunday afternoon to compete in the 800m, where she finished 5th in 2.56.43.
Glen Mustapic is a regular participant at Country Champs but this year he changed his program up a bit. He moved away from the longer distance races to contest the 50-59 years 400m and 800m where he placed 5th in both events. Glen also competed in the long jump where he also placed 5th with a jump of 3.54m.
Jade Mustapic made a very welcomed return to the track after an extended break, firstly contesting the Open 400m where she placed 2nd in her heat and 7th overall in a time of 1.08.51. Then in the 800m, Jade took the bronze medal with 3rd place in 2.52.51 – a great effort after being “pulled out from the dusty cupboard” (Jade’s words, not mine!).
