Last Wednesday night was one of the best nights for competition in many seasons.
There was a wealth of competitors testing their abilities in some tightly contested races as well as some great performances in the field.
In the 1km Cam Musgrove set a cracking pace, finishing in 2.37.89, a new PB, and just three seconds off the record. Lachlan Chisolm made a welcome return to Nowra Athletics’ after a long hiatus, and finished second in 2.51.55. Ethan Havadjia was third in 3.02.34 and fourth was Cooper Barrett who ran 3.07.00 for a new PB.
The B race was won by Pat Ozlins with Dakota Farn second and Andrew Crawford third.
In the junior heat Cameron Baxter took the win in 3.27.56 whilst Emily McLaren finished second in 3.39.62 and Tynan Caswell was third in 3.44.78.
In the sprints there were quality heats requiring some photo finish decisions. Lachlan Kaszonyi took the win in the 100m A race crossing in 11.90, just in front of Zac Havadjia who clocked 11.95. Emerson Brian was third in 12.35 and Ethan Havadjia was fourth in 12.40.
In the 150m event Lachlan Kaszonyi again took the win clocking 17.54 whilst Zac Havadjia pushed through again for second in 17.88 and Isaac Petts was third in 17.95. Ethan Havadjia was fourth in 18.67 and Emerson Brian happily took fifth in 18.84.
Other heats were also fast and hard-fought. Hannah Brian took the win in 13.40 with Emma Keane second in 13.48. Erin Smart clocked 13.64 and Ruby Marshall 13.96. Isaac Petts won his heat in 12.04. Reilly Caswell clocked 12.82 with Charlie Heidke just a whisker behind in 12.83. There were more quick times when Jackson Jennings ran 12.98; Matthew Reid recorded 13.00 and Riley Power 13.15.
In the junior races Cameron Baxter and Harry Thomson battled it out with Cameron taking the win in the 100m in 15.45 with Harry a close second in 15.50. Then in the 150m, they reversed the order with Harry crossing first in 23.45 whilst Cam was second in 23.81. The friendly rivalry made for some good competition on the track.
There were three competitive heats of the 400m which was fantastic to see. The events drew quite a crowd with spectators trying to pick the winner. In the A race it was Ethan Havadjia who demonstrated great determination and strength to take the win in 52.84. Cam Musgrove ran well for second place in 53.78 whilst Lachlan Kaszonyi was third in 55.02. Reilly Caswell clocked a PB of 57.50 for fourth and Zac Havadjia was fifth in 59.74. Erin Smart took out the B heat in 1.02.28 in front of Tom Duncan who crossed in 1.02.51 whilst Cooper Barrett was third in 1.04.85. In the C heat Cameron Baxter just beat his brother Oliver Baxter home and Sam Keogh was third.
In the field, Samantha Peace made a welcomed return and threw the discus a whopping 46.32m. This distance smashed the 29.38m in the record books set by Tori Sayer*
Tim Musson speared 40.78 in javelin and hurled the discus 36.40m. Emma Keane also threw well achieving 31.00m in discus and 26.93m in javelin.
In the shot put circle the youngest athletes showed great gutso. Cody Walker threw 5.35m whilst Noah Walker threw 4.29m. Ben Sproule had a great best throw of 4.40m and Aiden McLaren threw 3.36m. In the female event Lana Crawford threw 4.36, Charli Keogh threw 4.13m, Josie Sproule marked 4m and Ella Walsh achieved 3.36m.
It was a fantastic night of Track and Field competition.
For anyone interested in some extra competition Nowra athletes have been invited by Kembla Joggers Club to join them for their Track and Field night on Thursday 22nd October at Beaton Park. Events include 400m hurdles, 800m 5000m, 3000m, 200m starting at 6pm. The only cost will be the entry fee to Beaton Park. (Gold coin donation on the night to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness month)
*athletes must be a financial member for records to stand.