The first week of the track and field points competition got off to a thrilling start on Wednesday 1st October with athletes showcasing exceptional talent and determination. Across a packed program of events, five records were broken in the field, and a brand-new record was officially established on the track, setting an electrifying tone for the season ahead.
Newcomer Nicholas Masini set a new 20–29 years short put record with a throw of 12.00 metres, surpassing the longstanding 10.86m mark set by Richard Harris in the 1990–91 season. Meanwhile fellow new member Miriam Spry set a 50–59 years record with her throw of 9.20 metres, breaking Mel Jennings’ 9.07m record from five years ago. Tim Musson was unstoppable, spearheading a 50–59 years javelin record at 41.27 metres, smashing Doug McNally’s 37.30m mark that had stood since the 2004–05 season. Tim also claimed the shot put record with 11.64 metres, again surpassing Doug’s 9.57m record set in 2003–04. In the field, Anne Boatswain added to the excitement with a javelin record of 22.43 metres, knocking off Deb Clarke’s 20.24m record from the 2016–17 season.
On the track, hot off his standout performances at NSW All Schools, Flynn Kelly sprinted to a brand new 60m record in the 12–13 years group, clocking 07.98 seconds, which was the fastest time recorded in the sprints on the night.
Simon Donougher was the next fastest with 08.70, while new members Mark Bailie and Joel Browne demonstrated their sprinting prowess with 09.24 and 09.77, respectively. Leith Babian showed he is as strong a sprinter as he is a middle-distance runner, clocking 09.56, while masters runner John Smith also ran a quick 09.93. Young athletes Kai Thirlwall and Amarlie Ward also impressively ran under 10 seconds.
It’s great to welcome Leith Babian back to the Club this season, and he showed he hasn’t lost his speed! He came close to the 50–59 records in both the 600m and 1500m, winning with times of 01:44.34 in the 600m and 4:59.74 in the 1500m. It was also fantastic to see Scott Armstrong back in action after recovering from injury, taking 2nd place in the 1500m with 5:21.80.
Declan Bennett claimed victory in the junior 1500m with 5:46.06, followed by Amarlie Ward in 5:51.03 and Piper Browne in 06:34.43.
Our under-6 group has grown in numbers this year, with enthusiasm and persistence running high both on the track and in the field. Among them are Grace Parmenter, Coco Prayetno, Xander Day, Rosie Saviane, and Max Saviane.
In high jump, the masters athletes were soaring to new heights, with this week seeing the highest master participation in the event ever! Simon Donougher cleared 1.45m, just behind young Flynn Kelly’s impressive 1.50m. Joel Browne and Andrew Heffill both cleared 1.25m, while Anne Boatswain jumped 1.15m, and Miriam Spry and John Smith both reached 1.10m. Among the youngest jumpers, Hamish Bennett cleared 60cm, Xander Day 65cm, and Talekai Puckeridge 70cm.
What a wonderful kickoff to the track and field points competition! Don’t miss out on the action—remember, all participants must be registered to compete. Visit our website to register and be part of the season ahead!