Ivy Boothroyd and Daniel Williams recorded the fastest 800m times in the 87 year history of the NSW All Schools Championships.
Photos by Fred Etter
The performances were the highlight of the first weekend of the NSW All Schools Championships – split over two due to the event’s size and popularity – with 16 years, 17 years and 19 years age groups in action at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre over three days.
Boothroyd, 16, returned to the track for the first time since suffering a metatarsal stress fracture that kept her out of the sport for five months. In late 2022 she had set a NSW Under 16 record of 2:04.90, but then injury struck, keeping her out of the remainder of the season.
After a solid first 400m in 62.28 seconds tucked in behind Fleur Cooper, herself a 2:05 performer, Boothroyd accelerated away over the final 200m to clock 2:05.12.
“It is not a PB; so close, but a good time for my first race back,” Boothroyd told Athletics NSW.
“It was hard seeing everyone competing,” she said of her injury.
“At times it was unmotivating, all I was doing was swimming and cycling, I couldn’t weight bare, but I’m glad I stuck with it.”
Williams, also 16, shaved almost three seconds off his personal best in a negative-split 1:49.01 performance (first lap 54.92).
“The training had indicated that sub-1:50 for the 800m was really on the charts,” he told Athletics NSW.
“It was a question of how much under I could run. I went through in about 54 high and negative split, so I can’t really ask for much more.”
Read further recaps of the NSW All Schools Championships from Athletics NSW:
Day 3 Review: Dan Williams leads the World; Perkins claims title #6 as we see all-time best in the women’s 800m
Photo Gallery
A great gallery of photos courtesy of Fred Etter. Download for free using the code you receive when you subscribe to our newsletter.
Here’s a small sample: 
