Cool, clear conditions and the trademark Lakeside breeze set the scene for a finale worthy of a championships defined by waves of sprinting talent. And fittingly, it was one of the country’s brightest young stars who stole the show: Emilia Reed(WA), the Australian U16 record holder, who turned the tables in the most emphatic way.
After being out-leaned by Rhema Adelaja (NSW) in yesterday’s 200m showdown, Reed red-lined the 100m final from the gun, exploding from the blocks and refusing to yield. Her 11.62 (-1.7) into a stubborn headwind was enough to reverse the result, and to underline a wider story of Australian sprinting rapidly shifting gears.
Adelaja fought hard, again proving why she is one of the breakout athletes of the meet, clocking 11.73 in the rematch. Both ran well under the World U20 qualifying standard, adding to a meet already illuminated by standout qualifiers across multiple age groups.
Among them was Maya Taber (NSW), the fastest female sprinter of the championships across any age group. Taber clocked 11.55 in the U17 100m final, backed by a wind-assisted 23.27 in the 200m, and importantly a 24.23 legal qualifier in the heats — rounding out a dominant sprint double.
In the U18 ranks, Grace Crowe (VIC) produced her breakthrough moment, racing 11.68 to win the title and stamp her ticket to World U20 selection trials.
On the boys’ side, Zavier Peacock (NSW) completed a polished sprint double of his own. His 21.03 in the 200m was a World U20 qualifier, complementing the 10.56 he posted in the 100m earlier in the meet.
Victoria’s Harper Collins set meet records in the U14 80m Hurdles (11.84s) and U15 200m Hurdles 27.41s.
“This generation of sprinting is honestly like something we’ve never seen before,” Reed said. “I just executed the plan and stayed in my own lane — literally and figuratively.”
Sienna Vassella took out the U15 100m in 12.16 seconds, to add to her medals in the Long Jump (gold, 5.63m), 200m (silver, 24.46s) and 4x100m (silver, 48.09s).
Victoria’s Kevin De Silva won the U16 100m in 11.10s, while NSW’s James Atkins prevailed in the U15 event in 11.33 seconds.
The girls’ 400m finals extended the theme of depth, composure and breakout performances.
Xanthee Watts (QLD) was the class of the U17 race, piecing together her most complete lap of the season to stop the clock at 54.43, a performance that signals another young Queenslander on the rise.
In the U16 division, rising 15-year-old Noami Krajancic (NSW) delivered a beautifully controlled race to win in 55.04, comfortably under the World U20 standard in her preferred event after taking bronze earlier in the meet in the 200m.
And in the U18 event, 53.5s runner Rose Acklin (QLD) ensured the age-group title stayed north with a composed 55.71 to claim victory.
The Blue Riband men’s 400m was every bit as compelling.
Archie O’Rourke (VIC) stalked top seed Olly McDonald (NSW) until the home straight, before powering past to win in a brilliant 47.57 PB: a fine domestic junior quarter-mile performances.
NSW took line honours in the younger 400m races with each of the victors setting personal bests: Kai Cullens 48.63s in the U17s, Oscar Turnbull 49.04s in the U16s and, Zac Bailey 50.49s in the U15s.
The hurdles carried the same electricity.
Oliver Facer (NSW), already a multi-event standout this week, delivered a technically excellent run into a headwind to win the U18 110m hurdles in 14.06 (-2.7), his fourth race of the championships.
In the U17 event, Ken Ferrante Tanikawa (SA) prevailed in 13.88 (-2.5) after a razor-tight duel with Cameron Badger (NSW), the pair separated by just hundredths.
Victorians Charli Moore (13.65s, a PB) and Jamison Harding (13.59s) took out the U18 and U17 girls 100m hurdles.
Rounding out the individual events on the track were the U14 200m, where Luke Weber (22.84s) and Marnie Laurence (24.57s) took victory. Weber had also taken out the 400m in a meet record time of 50.43, while Laurence had a busy weekend, with a four golds (100m: 11.96; Long Jump: 5.46m and Mixed 4x200m relay), and two bronzes in the Triple Jump (11.57m) and 4x100m relay.
With six-and-a-half years still remaining before Brisbane 2032, the pathway is long, but the depth, range and acceleration of Australian junior sprinting has rarely looked stronger.
