FOURTEEN Raymond Terrace Athletics Centre athletes recently made their way down the M1 to the Mingara Regional Athletics Centre at Tumbi Umbi on the Central Coast for the LA Region Championships.

There was a lot of apprehension and excitement among the athletes for the weekend ahead, especially the younger of them as this was the first Little Athletics Competition since 2020.

Usually, the athletes need to compete at Zone Championships in the previous December to qualify for this annual Championship, but thanks to COVID, Zone hasn’t been held since 2019.

So, for the first time ever, athletes from Under 8 to Under 17 were able to nominate their events.

With the Centre only being able to start their Saturday morning competition just one week before their Christmas break and then three weeks after returning for 2022, the athletes were incredibly unprepared for the quality competition they were to face, but they didn’t let that faze them.

The conditions were wet, stormy, sunny, windy, muddy, sometimes at the same time, yet our athletes handled the challenging conditions in their stride and made new friends along the way.

Over the two and a half day competition featuring over 300 athletes from around the Region, our athletes brought home an impressive total of 28 medals: 15 Gold, 5 Silver and 8 Bronze.

A lot of them also recorded numerous personal best results.

Twelve athletes have qualified to contest the McDonald’s State Championships Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 of March, at Sydney Olympic Athletics Centre, Homebush.

Congratulations to all of them.

The results were:
Under 9
Arlia Drosd – 6th 70m, 9th long jump,
Ruby Kete – Bronze 70m, 5th 100m,
Asher McDonald – Bronze 100m, 5th 400m,

Under 10
Audrey Russell – Gold – 110m walk, 7th (heat) 800m,
Felicity Denko – Gold – high jump, Bronze long jump and 200m,
Paige Matthews – Gold – long jump, Bronze – 70m, 4th 60m hurdles, 8th discus,

Under 13
Zane Edwards – Gold 80m hurdles and 400m, Silver triple jump and relay, Bronze 200m and 100m,
Ethan Morante – Silver high jump and relay

Under 14
Dixie Conlon – Gold – triple jump, Bronze long jump, 5th 100m,
Ashlyn Wall – Gold 1500m (and 9 second Personal Best), and Gold 800m,

Under 15
Max Haynes – 6th long jump, 8th 200m, 6th (heat) 100m, Silver relay

Under 17
Cody Hancock – Gold long jump,100m and 200m, Silver high jump, discus and relay,
Connor Matthews – Gold triple jump, Silver 110m hurdles, 4th long jump,
Ebony Newton – Gold 100m hurdles, 100m and 200m.

The Senior Boys’ Relay team with Zane Edwards, Ethan Morante, Max Haynes and Cody Hancock also finished with a commendable Silver medal without previously having the opportunity to run as a team.

Unfortunately, only the Gold medal team progresses to the State Championships.

 

By Deidre HALL