NSW Junior Championships for 13’s (Under 14) to Under 20 were held at SOPAC 13th-16th March 2025 in very hot conditions.
Nowra was represented by 14 athletes in the black and gold.
Evie Binney kicked off with a bronze medal performance in the Under 16 2000m steeplechase, completing the event in 7.49.18. Evie also contested the 800m, where she placed 14th with a time of 2.30.07.
Also landing on the podium was Flynn Kelly with a jump of 5.41m in the Under 14 long jump. In addition Flynn also ran a National Qualifier of 12.67 in the 100m where he finished 13th.
Lily Sproule put in a great run on Saturday in the Under 17 1500m, finishing 5th in a time of 4.55.11. Lily then backed up on Sunday in the 800m, and seemingly unfazed by the soaring temperatures, clocked a massive PB and a National Qualifier of 2.15.51, just finishing shy of the podium in 4th place.
Alisha Mustapic also just missed the podium with her run in the Under 20 400m hurdles, where she placed 4th in 1.08.00. In addition, Alisha was 17th in the 200m with 27.10.
Isla Bailie leapt to a new PB in the Under 14 long jump with her first jump in her first State event. Isla recorded 4.71m for 6th place.
Harrison Baxter was 7th in the Under 20 3000m race, clocking 8.44.25. Harrison then had another strong run in the 1500m, where he led the entire race to take the win in the B final with 4.09.39, placing him 10th overall.
Oliver Baxter battling illness, ran 8.52.03 in the Under 20 3000m for 10th place.
Amelia May, also recovering from illness, bravely contested the Under 20 1500m, and after suffering a fall in the closing straight, managed to pick herself up and finish the race in 9th place in 4.54.57.
Madeline Oke was 16th in the Under 15 3000m with 11.48.38 whilst Macca Davis ran a fantastic PB of 10.19.36 for 13th place in the Under 14 race. Macca also backed up after the 3000m, to run his favourite event of the 1500m, finishing 21st in 4.50.55.
Airlie Stevens ran the Under 15 1500m in the Saturday heat in 5.12.80 for 9th place then backed up on Sunday, in even hotter conditions, in the 800m where she placed 11th in 2.25.04.
Hugh Thirwall also contested the 1500m and 800m double in the Under 15 group. Hugh was happy with his run on Saturday where he clocked 4.30.31 over 1500m for 10th place. In the 800m, Hugh was 9th in 2.13.15.
Jonah Watson and Tom Brookes both contested the Under 20 400m hurdles and the training partners could barely be separated at the finishing line. Tom was 8th in 1.00.22 whilst Jonah was 9th in 1.00.23. In the 110m hurdles, Jonah clocked 16.49 to qualify for his first State final whilst Tom was off his usual pace and ran 17.73 in 13th place. Tom was ever the positive competitor and used the race as an opportunity to focus on improving his race technique – this is the positive attitude we love to see in athletes. Kudos to Tom. Jonah went on to run 16.54 in the final of the 110m hurdles, placing 10th in NSW, a massive achievement at this level. Jonah also competed in the 200m where he finished 6th in heat 3 with 23.16, placing him 26th overall.
Also a member of Nowra Athletics Club, but competing under the banner of her Little Athletics Club, St Georges Basin, Kadance Naylor speared 4th place in the Under 17 javelin with 39.69m and was 9th in discus with 28.91m.
Nowra Club members Layla Beck, Emerson Boatswain and Hamish McLaren competed for Shoalhaven Little Athletics Centre at the State Championships. Layla was 9th in Under 15 javelin with 28.72m, 14th in discus with 27.84m and 15th in shot with 8.99m. Emerson was 21st in the Under 14 3000m with a time of 12.33.34 and 22nd in the 1500m with 5.40.40. In javelin Emerson was 18th with a throw of 23.51m. Hamish was just short of the podium in the Under 20 steeplechase, crossing in 4th place in 10.33.66 and was 21st in the 1500m in 4.28.12. Hamish was also 6th in the javelin with a measured throw of 44.80m.
Massive congratulations to all these junior athletes. We are so proud of you all; great results under super tough conditions.