The Australia Day weekend saw one of the largest athletics events on the Athletics NSW calendar, the NSW Country Championships, hosted in Wollongong.
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About 550 athletes plus families and friends converged on what was windy Wollongong on the long weekend to enjoy each other’s company in healthy competition.
Junior sprint queens Delta Amidzovski and Chelsea Ezeoke scored a good pile of bling as well as smashing records.
The two girls combined with juniors Janna Hadaya and Maya Francis to win a gutsy bronze in the Open Women's 4 by 100m relay in 52.30sec.
Janna combined with Grace Adams, Hannah Crinnion and Alyssa Parks to win gold in the 16s girls.
Delta destroyed the under 13 and 14 girls 80m hurdles record in an awesome 13.10sec – 1.51 seconds under the record.
She came first in triple jump, 9.85m, first in high jump 1.52m, first in long jump, 4.75m and second in the 200m 28.01sec
Chelsea Ezeoke, in the under13 100m, won in 12.52 sec and in the 200m 25.71 sec, breaking both meet records. The 100m record was set in 1975!
She added the shot (10.74m) and discus (31.32m) titles with ease.
But possibly her finest achievement was in the under 14 400m where she won the race by five seconds, setting her third meet record in a time of 59.93sec.
Jordan Heywood, U18, has gone from strength to strength in his comeback, winning gold in the 800m in 2.04.90 sec and the 1500 in 4.23.62, winning by 6 seconds. Brother Zac Heywood in the U16s was 2nd in discus 28.63m, 1st in shot 7.82m and 3rd in javelin 29.77m.
A very quick 29.96 sec saw young Jett Link U16 mens, set an Australian Championships qualifying time along with Jackie Lanartowicz, W13, who set a qualifying distance of 34.75m in the U15 hammer. Gabriel Bickel U17m finished 2nd in the 100m.
Comeback kid Peter Veerhuis in men’s 40-49, was 2nd 400m, 57.55 sec, 2nd 200m, 25.45 sec, 3rd in 800m, 2.22.90, and 3rd in shotput 9.13m.
Prolific powerhouse Christine Shaw in W 50-59, came first in javelin, 26.66m; long jump, 4.17m; and discus, 23.10m; and second in high jump, 1.25m, hammer, 26.11m, and triple jump, 7.81m.
The golden pole vaulters, all scored first place. Kate Goreham 1.70m, Genevieve Vickers 3.00m, Montse Ros 2.90m, Tyrell Taione 1.90m, James Goreham 3.20m, and Will Tyler 3.10m.
Australian rep Karen Clarke, Open Women, took a stranglehold on her pet javelin event with a golden throw of 43.17m.
She followed this up on February 4 at Open events at SOPAC with silver at 45.07m. Kristen Mercer won bronze in the Para section of the same event.
Other gold medallists include Rosie Tozer WU17 high jump 1.70m, Chris Twigg OM long jump 6.23m. Montse Ros W30-39 triple jump 9.19m, long jump 4.27m, Ron Simcock M70+ shotput 10.21m, hammer 34.14m.
Phil Frkovic M50-59, Open hammer 30.40 and 50-59 hammer 35.38m. William Willis U12M shotput 6.24m. Isaac O'Brien M16 110m hurdles 15.67 sec. Tim Martin Open Men, racewalk 18.12.60. Tyrell Taione, triple jump 9.40m. Fellow Kembla Jogger members Patrice Sivills U15m 800m PB and Olivia Sivills 1500m. Austen Lantry U17m high jump, 1.75m.
Added to this enormous total is another 21 silver and 13 bronze. A huge effort by club members to showcase local athletics talent.
Monday, February 5, saw the holding of the Queen’s Baton Relay event for Wollongong.
At 9.42am at Stuart Park it was delivered by a sky diver to club member and 9 times consecutive world champion Marie Kay for completion of the next leg of the relay.
This is quite an honour for Marie, Athletics Wollongong and Wollongong as a whole.
