NSW Junior Championships were held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre from 12th to 15th March. Once again Nowra Athletics Club was well represented by an impressive group of young athletes.
Lily Sproule took the state title in the 17 years 800m, fighting hard to win in 2.18.55, edging out Annabelle Cigna from Mosman Athletics Club who crossed in 2.18.69. Lily also placed 7th in the 1500m in 4.49.59.
In the 17 years javelin Kadance Naylor produced a PB throw of 41.71m on her final throw to secure the silver medal. In the shot put, Kadance finished 10th with a throw of 10.28m and in discus, she was 13th with 26.55m.
Flynn Kelly won bronze in the 14 years long jump with a leap of 5.83m. In the 100m, Flynn finished 14th with 12.05 and in the 200m, Flynn qualified with 23.98 and went on to place 6th in the final with 24.15.
Isla Bailie had a great competition, making the finals in both the 14 years 100m and 200m. Isla clocked 12.72 in the 100m heat and went on to improve this to a PB of 12.63 in the final for 5th place. In the 200m Isla ran 26.18 in the heat then again bettered this time in the final with 26.02, another PB, for 6th place.
Lana Crawford had solid runs in the 15 years 800m and 1500m. In the 800m, Lana finished 13th in 2.24.61 and in the 1500m, Lana placed 10th in 4.57.95.
Airlie Stevens contested the 15 years 800m, placing 18th in 2.26.57. In the 400m, Airlie had a strong run to place 11th in 1.02.15.
Madeline Oke was 11th in the 15 years 3000m in 11.12.97.
Macca Davis put in great efforts in the 14 years 800m where he placed 19th in 2.17.52 and in the 1500m where he finished 13th in 4.43.86.
Kai Thirwall was 15th in the 13 years 1500m, running 4.51.43 and Ada Houldsworth was 17th in the 13 years 400m with 1.05.76.
Evie Binney placed 5th in the 16 years 400m hurdles, clocking 1.10.82. Evie was also 5th in the 2000m steeplechase in a time of 8.38.12.
Ellie Cooper was busy in the field, earning herself a PB in the 17 years hammer throw with 20.95m for 8th place. In javelin, Ellie speared 25.48m for 13th place while in discus Ellie was 17th with 23.65m and in shot put, 19th with 7.84m.
Jonah Watson ran 23.91 for 28th place in the Under 20 200m.
Hamish McLaren ran a PB of 10.11.90 to win the bronze medal in the Under 20 3000m steeplechase event. In the javelin Hamish placed 5th with a throw of 43,87m and in discus, Hamish was 9th with 31.03m.
Multiclub members representing Shoalhaven Little Athletics Centre at the Championships were Emerson Boatswain, Riley Sandstrom, and Emily McLaren.
Emerson had a fantastic meet, smashing her track PB’s. In the 14 years 1500m, Emerson placed 19th with an impressive 18 second PB of 5.09.04. In the 2000m steeplechase Emerson finished 5th with a 3 second PB of 7.48.48 and in the 300m hurdles, Emerson won her heat in 52.17, which was a 3 second PB, placing her 13th overall. Emerson also competed in the javelin event where she threw 20.67m for 23rd place.
Riley Sandstrom was 14th in the 13 years 90m hurdles in a time of 15.61 and 16th in the discus with a throw of 34.64m.
Emily McLaren clocked a PB of 1.08.92 for 9th place in the Under 20 400m hurdles. Two hours later, Emily smashed out a 31 second PB of 12.14.52 in the 3000m steeplechase, earning herself a bronze medal. In the javelin, Emily placed 11th with a throw of 25.10m.
Jasmine Wheeler, representing St Georges Basin Little Athletics Centre finished 14th in the Under 20 100m hurdles with a run of 17.62 while in long jump, Jasmine placed 10th with a jump of 4.27m.
Overall, it was a fantastic championships for our junior athletes, producing outstanding performances across the board. The results reflect the depth, dedication and team spirit within the club, setting a great platform for future success.
photos by Ellie Cooper