Photos courtesy of Fred Etter and Michael Thomas.
The next generation of Australian athletics looks bright if results from Junior events at the Australian Championships is anything to go by.
Despite often wet conditions, sensational performances were recorded by athletes in the Under 20 age group in Sydney. For many the World Junior Championships in Santiago de Cali, Columbia beckons as the next step in their career.
Here’s a look at the Top 10 performances recorded across the meet, as assessed against the IAAF Scoring Tables.*
#1 – Calab Law – 200m
The Queenslander sped to a meet record 20.64 seconds with the aid of a 0.7 m/s tailwind. He’s one of the favourites for the open event later in the program and at 18, would be the youngest ever national champion over the distance.
#2 – Jai Gordon – 100m
A fast 10.28 seconds (+0.7) personal best to claim the blue ribband event ahead of Law.
#3 – Claudia Hollingsworth – 1500m
The Victorian controlled a fast 1500m final where the top eight all ran world junior qualifiers. Hollingsworth’s 4:13.41 was the second fastest time of her burgeoning career.
#4 – Torrie Lewis – 200m
The Queensland speedster focused on the junior events ahead of the possibility of open success, taking out the sprint double. Her 23.46 second win in the 200m came in wet conditions, into a slight 0.2 m/s headwind.
#5 – Nicola Hogg – 1500m
Runner-up in the 1500m behind Hollingsworth, the Stanford bound NSW athlete ran a new personal best of 4:15.13.
#6 – Calab Law – 100m
Runner-up behind Gordon in the 100m, in a new personal best of 10.36 seconds (-0.7).
#7 – Amy Bunnage – 3000m
The Victorian bounced back from a fourth place finish in the 1500m to front run a 9:06.93 3000m, just two-hundredths of a second outside the meet record held by Suzy Walsham.
#8 – Torrie Lewis – 100m
A close race with West Australia’s Taylah Cruttenden, taking victory in 11.59 seconds (-0.9).
#9 – Hayley Kitching – 800m
A new personal best of 2:04.80 for a convincing victory over two laps, following a third place finish over 1500m.
#10 – Taylah Cruttenden – 100m
Just three-hundredths of a second shy of victory behind Torrie Lewis over the short sprint.
*Notable – 110m hurdles (0.99m) – Mitchell Lightfoot and Tayleb Willis
There’s no direct comparison that can be made for the junior men’s sprint hurdles, which are run at 99.1cm rather than the 106.7cm open height, but Mitchell Lightfoot’s 13.59 and Tayleb Willis’ 13.61 were classy performances.
Congratulations to all National Junior Champions!
Event | Athlete | Performance |
---|---|---|
100m | Torrie Lewis | 11.59 (-0.9) |
200m | Torrie Lewis | 23.46 (-0.2) |
400m | Jasmin Guthrie | 53.73 |
800m | Hayley Kitching | 2:04.80 |
1500m | Claudia Hollingsworth | 4:13.41 |
3000m | Amy Bunnage | 9:06.93 |
5000m | Laura Roderick | 16:50.62 |
100m H | Delta Amidzovski | 13.78 (-0.6) |
400m H | Isabella Guthrie | 58.78 |
3000m St | Laura McKillop | 10:18.64 |
High Jump | Erin Shaw | 1.78m |
Pole Vault | Cassidy Bradshaw | 4.00m |
Long Jump | Katie Gunn | 6.09m (-0.3) |
Triple Jump | Tiana Boras | 12.94m (0.0) |
Shot Put | Natalia Rankin-Chitar (NZL) | 14.07m |
Shot Put | Kaitlyn Coulter | 13.57m |
Discus | Natalia Rankin-Chitar (NZL) | 49.15m |
Discus | Marley Raikiwasa | 47.59m |
Hammer | Renee Hardy | 50.38m |
Javelin | Mackenzie Mielczarek | 51.68m |
10000m Walk | Olivia Sandery | 45:28.96 |
Event | Athlete | Performance |
---|---|---|
100m | Jai Gordon | 10.28 (0.7) |
200m | Calab Law | 20.64 (0.7) |
400m | Thomas Reynolds | 47.83 |
800m | Charlie Jefferson | 1:50.04 |
1500m | Peyton Craig | 3:49.53 |
3000m | Peyton Craig | 8:12.60 |
5000m | Archie Noakes | 14:15.73 |
110m H (0.99m) | Mitchell Lightfoot | 13.59 (1.0) |
400m H | Hugo Hanak | 52.81 |
3000m St | Archie Noakes | 8:59.98 |
High Jump | Ethan Petcos | 2.10m |
Pole Vault | James Woods | 4.85m |
Long Jump | Blake Shaw | 7.49m (1.1) |
Triple Jump | Aiden Hinson | 15.76m (0.5) |
Shot Put (6kg) | Liam Ngchok-Wulf (NZL) | 17.58m |
Shot Put (6kg) | Alexander Shahla | 17.16m |
Discus (1.75m) | Darcy Miller | 58.12m |
Hammer (6kg) | Benjamin Roberts | 64.67m |
Javelin | Haddi El Shorbagy | 65.10m |
10000m Walk | Fraser Saunder | 47:15.49 |
A great collection of photos from each day of the Australian Championships is available, courtesy of Fred Etter. Please subscribe to our mailing list for download access.
Recent posts:
- The Australian Athletics Instagram Elite: Top Influencers of 2024See top 20 Instagram movers and shakers within Australian athletics. Cover image by Fred Etter Let’s take a closer look at the biggest influencers in Australian athletics based on those athletes who were in either the 2022 or 2023 World Championships teams or 2024 Olympics, based on their current Instagram following (at 1 November 2024):… Read more: The Australian Athletics Instagram Elite: Top Influencers of 2024
- World Athletics Ultimate Championships LaunchedThe athletics world is set to enter a bold new era with the launch of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, commencing 11 September 2026 and running for three days, in Budapest, Hungary. This highly anticipated event aims to establish a continuous annual cycle of elite global competitions, complementing the established Olympic Games and World Championships cycle, which… Read more: World Athletics Ultimate Championships Launched
- Gout Gout runs fastest 200m by Australian in 31 yearsWorld junior silver medallist Gout Gout has shattered the Australian U20 200m record with a sensational run at the Queensland All School Championships. The 16-year-old ran 20.29 seconds with a 1.2 m/s tailwind to move to fourth on the Australian open all-time list. Only 1968 Olympic silver medallist Peter Norman (20.06), 1993 World Championships finalist… Read more: Gout Gout runs fastest 200m by Australian in 31 years
- Winkcup wins as Hancock-Cameron disqualified; Phillips takes men’s titleThere was high quality running and drama at the NSW 3000m Championships at ES Marks Athletics Field. The women’s race was a race of two, with Jaylah Hancock-Cameron and Georgia Winkcup clearing out from the rest of the field. Winkcup, a 2021 Olympian in the steeplechase, forced the pace until a lap to go when… Read more: Winkcup wins as Hancock-Cameron disqualified; Phillips takes men’s title
- New athletics season continues momentum of growth and changeWith the nation’s best Olympic performance since 1956, a consistent high performance summer series and increased unity across the sport there’s lots to look forward to this summer. Cover image by Ben Levy for Inside Athletics The Paris Olympics saw 7 medals won: That was August and now, the start of October, marks the traditional… Read more: New athletics season continues momentum of growth and change