Emerging sprinter secures New Year’s victory

IT COULD be said that local sprinter Nyajima Jock has started 2025 on the right foot.

Taking part in the Maryborough Women’s Gift on New Year’s Day, she took home victories in the heat, semi-final, and lastly the final race, as well as the $15,000 prize that came with it.

“It felt really good to win,” she said.

“I think coming off a not so good season, starting off the new one with a win felt amazing and it’s given me a lot of confidence.

“It was sort of a last-minute decision [to participate]. We were originally going to compete in Tasmania so our focus would have started there from November, December before we shifted towards the end of the year.”

Jock preceded the New Year’s Day wins by breaking the Ballarat Athletics 200m and 400m sprint records in November, the latter of which was previously held by Donna Adamson since 1992.

She said her Maryborough victory was a great way to begin the new season.

“It’s a really good way to open up a season that looks like it’ll be a good one and hopefully there’ll be continuous wins We have the Ballarat Gift coming up so hopefully we’ll get a win there. At the moment there’s Athletics Victoria rounds going on so I’m hoping I can get the 100m and 200m records there.

“Then we’ll compete in Canberra at the end of January and I’m hoping to get some really good times there because it’s a really good track and the conditions will be good.”

Jock has been competing for about six years since age 16, after previously participating in cross-country and Little Athletics while in school.

She has been with Wendouree Athletics Club throughout her career and is coached by Ballarat sprinting icon Gerrard Keating, who returned to the region in 2022.

“This will be our second season together,” Jock said. “He’s good friends with my previous coach Paul. Sprinting’s his area and he’s changed a lot of my technique and my positioning which has made a huge difference.

“Competing’s definitely really fun, as well as the friendships you develop, and just putting in the work and achieving outcomes. Those are probably the best things about competing for me.”